Emmanuelle Charpentier (born 1968), French microbiologist and geneticist. Charpentier is best known for her work on the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing molecule. CRISPR/Cas9 is used by bacteria to recognise and destroy a viral pathogen's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Along with American biochemist Jennifer Doudna, Charpentier adapted the system so that it was able to recognise any given DNA sequence and so be used to edit any genome. Charpentier and Doudna were awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work, the first two women to share the award. Photographed at the Starmus Festival, Trondheim, Norway in 2017.