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Jake Becraft is a Synthetic Biologist & Entrepreneur on a mission to advance the pace of innovation & accessibility of medicine. He is Co-Founder & CEO @ Strand Therapeutics, and serves on its Board of Directors. Together with colleagues at MIT’s renowned Synthetic Biology Center, he led the development of the world’s first synthetic biology programming language for mRNA. Jake has been featured in Endpoints News, Fierce Biotech, Bloomberg, Forbes, and Business Insider, among others, for his vision and mission at Strand of applying this unique platform for real world disease applications. He has also been the recipient of prestigious national and international awards for his scientific and entrepreneurial achievements, including the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Award, the Andrew Viterbi Fellowship of MIT, Amgen Fellowship, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb 2018 Golden Ticket for recognition of Strand as an innovative startup. Jake is a 2021 Termeer Fellow and has been named to MIT Tech Review's 35 Innovators under 35, as well as Endpoint News 20 under 40 list. Jake is an outspoken advocate amongst the life science ecosystem for supporting young founders in entrepreneurship. Beyond Jake’s work at Strand, his broader interests span synthetic biology, biologically engineered organism-machine interfaces, and the intersection of tech / bio methodologies. Currently, he serves on the Executive Board of Public Health United, a non-profit focused on helping scientists better communicate their research for maximum impact. Previously, he served as a Science and Technology advisor to legislators in the Massachusetts State Legislature. Outside of work, you can find Jake training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or heading to the mountains for some backcountry snowboarding. Jake received his Ph.D. in Biological Engineering and Synthetic Biology from MIT and his B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating Magna cum Laude with distinction.