A Prestigious Recognition of GMGI Co-Founder
Photo caption: Arati Prabhakar, Ph.D., President Biden’s Chief Advisor for Science and Technology presents David Walt, Ph.D., with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation on Friday, January 3. Photo courtesy of Ryan K. Morris.
David R. Walt, Ph.D. — co-founder of Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute and current board member — was recognized at the White House on Friday, January 3 as a laureate for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI) is the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement, bestowed by the president of the United States on America’s leading innovators. The medal is awarded to individuals, teams, companies or divisions of companies for their outstanding contributions to America’s economic, environmental and social well-being.
Dr. Walt is the Hanjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Medical School, an investigator in the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, and a core faculty member at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University.
Dr. Walt pioneered the use of microwell arrays for single-molecule detection and genetic measurements, which has revolutionized the process of genetic and proteomic analysis, enabling the cost of DNA sequencing and genotyping to plummet nearly a millionfold in the last decade.
Congratulations, Dr. Walt! GMGI celebrates you, your innovation and leadership!
