University of Utah alumna Reshma Shetty is the Rosalind Franklin Award recipient for 2019. Sponsored by the Rosalind Franklin Society and named after the X-ray crystallographer who imaged the structure of DNA, the award recognizes outstanding women who are leaders in biotechnology.

Shetty worked as an undergraduate in the lab of distinguished professor of biology Baldomero “Toto” Olivera and went on to earn a doctorate from MIT, where she and four other researchers founded Ginkgo Bioworks, a synthetic biology company.

Shetty visited the U earlier this year to meet with students and share her insights about the world of biotechnology startups. Read more about her visit here.

Hear Shetty’s inspiration and advice in the video here.