He obtained his PhD in Bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and performed independent research as a Systems Biology Fellow in the University of California, San Francisco. He has developed the CRISPR/Cas technology for targeted genome engineering in mammalian cells. His work has lead to a series of technologies for gene regulation and imaging, including CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and genome-scale screening. He also worked in the field of Synthetic Biology, and has developed methods to generate synthetic noncoding RNA regulators of transcription, translation, and as molecular sensor for chemicals and intracellular proteins.