Skip to main content
A Singapore Government Agency Website How to identify
Official website links end with .gov.sg
Government agencies communicate via .gov.sg websites (e.g. go.gov.sg/open). Trusted websites
Secure websites use HTTPS
Look for a lock () or https:// as an added precaution. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Global Young Scientists Summit

David Klenerman

Meet Professor David Klenerman, co-inventor of next-generation DNA sequencing and winner of major science prizes, at GYSS 2026.

Last updated 3 August 2026
David Klenerman, Millennium Technology Prize 2020 winner, an older man with glasses and gray hair in a blazer.

Professor David Klenerman is a physical chemist who completed his degree and doctorate at the University of Cambridge, followed by postdoctoral research at Stanford University. He worked for BP Research in the United Kingdom for seven years, before eventually joining the faculty of Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry. He is currently Royal Society GSK Professor of Molecular Medicine at Cambridge, focusing on the development and application of physical methods, particularly laser spectroscopy and single molecule fluorescence, to biological and biomedical problems.

Prof Klenerman is best known for co-inventing next-generation DNA sequencing with Sir Shankar Balasubramanian. They were jointly awarded the 2018 Royal Medal, the 2020 Millennium Technology Prize and the 2024 Novo Nordisk Prize. Together with Pascal Mayer, they are also co-recipients of the 2022 Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences and the 2024 Canada Gairdner International Award.