David Keener

David, a Massachusetts native, earned his BS in Neurobiology at the University of Rochester in 2015. Afterward, he moved to North Carolina and worked on an industry-DARPA collaboration, developing biocement technology for applications in the local marine environment. In the Watts lab, David received an NIH pre-doctoral fellowship to work on improving a gene editing strategy for use in treating cases of Rett syndrome, a severe neurodevelopmental genetic disease. When not in the lab, David is an avid musician and enjoys cooking and tabletop games, as well as tennis, skiing, hiking, sailing, and all manner of classic New England activities, with his wife (Madeline) and dog (Ellie).”