Harris Wang, PhD Appointed Chair of Systems Biology

Dear VP&S Community, 

I write to share the wonderful news that Harris Wang, PhD, professor of systems biology, pathology & cell biology, and biomedical engineering, has been appointed chair of the Department of Systems Biology in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Dr. Wang has served as interim chair of Systems Biology since September 2023 and has fostered the continued growth and impact of Systems Biology, helping to cement its standing as one of the leading departments of its kind nationwide. Dr. Wang joined Columbia in 2013 as a founding faculty member of the department.  

Widely recognized for his pioneering work in synthetic biology, Dr. Wang focuses on advancing next-generation microbiome and cellular therapeutics through systems and synthetic biology approaches. Using advanced genome engineering, gene synthesis, and next-generation sequencing technologies, his research examines how genomes are shaped by environmental forces and evolve over time, while developing innovative tools to engineer microbial systems and mammalian cells to address critical challenges in health, energy, and the environment. His work has been especially influential in the spatial mapping and precision editing of the gut microbiome, as well as in the use of CRISPR-based technologies to track and record transient cellular processes. Dr. Wang joined Columbia from Harvard University, where he served as an instructor in systems biology, and where he invented the first automated and multiplexed genome engineering platform. 

A Biohub investigator and a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Dr. Wang is the recipient of numerous accolades. He was named a Schaefer Research Scholar at VP&S and received the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and the NSF CAREER Award. Dr. Wang cares deeply about training the next generation of scientists, and has advised and mentored numerous postdocs, graduate, and undergraduate students. 

Dr. Wang has cofounded two companies and serves on the scientific advisory boards of numerous others in the areas of CRISPR, biosecurity, microbiome, intestinal health, and gene therapy. He received a PhD in biophysics and medical engineering medical physics from Harvard University and double BS degrees in applied mathematics and physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

I’d like to again give my deepest appreciation to Andrea Califano, Dr, the Clyde ’56 and Helen Wu Professor of Chemical Biology (in Systems Biology), who served as founding chair of the Department of Systems Biology from 2013–2023. Under Dr. Califano’s visionary leadership, the department demonstrated exceptional growth—recruiting top-tier faculty, generating sustained funding, and furthering cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research that has led to numerous patent applications and startup companies. I am very grateful for his remarkable legacy as chair, as well as for his ongoing groundbreaking contributions to Columbia as a faculty member in systems biology, biochemistry & molecular biophysics, medicine, and biomedical informatics, and through his collaborative work as president of immune cell reprogramming and head of Biohub, New York.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the search committee, led by Uttiya Basu, PhD, professor of microbiology & immunology, for their guidance and leadership in the search process.  

I look forward to Dr. Wang’s continued outstanding dedication to science and to our institution. Please join me in giving him a warm congratulations on his new role. 

All my best,  

Katrina Armstrong, MD 
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences, Columbia University