Addgene Appoints Dr. Chonnettia Jones as Executive Director
April 4, 2022
Watertown, MA - Addgene, the nonprofit biorepository, today announced the appointment of Chonnettia Jones, Ph.D., as its new Executive Director. When Dr. Jones assumes the role May 9, 2022, she will lead Addgene into its third decade of contributing to innovations in life science research. As Executive Director, she will champion Addgene’s mission and lead efforts to increase the impact and global reach of the organization.
“I am delighted to welcome Chonnettia to the Addgene team,” says David Root, Ph.D., chair of Addgene’s Board of Directors. “She has been an advocate of open science throughout her career and is an experienced leader in the life science nonprofit space. Chonnettia is joining the organization during a critical time of rapid growth, and we are excited to work together to advance Addgene’s mission of scientific sharing.”
Dr. Jones most recently served as Vice President, Research at Michael Smith Health Research BC, a research funding agency in British Columbia. Over the last two years she directed Health Research BC’s COVID-19 research response, worked in partnership with national and provincial funders to address COVID-19 research priorities, and implemented a post-pandemic program of recovery to sustain research talent and capacity.
“Addgene is a pillar of the life science research community - giving scientists worldwide access to materials and resources that allow them to conduct impactful science. I am excited to join the team and to empower Addgenies to create solutions that improve scientific sharing and drive open access and reproducibility in science. I look forward to guiding Addgene through this new stage of growth,” says Dr. Jones.
Previously, Dr. Jones managed an international scientific program at the Janelia Research Campus of Howard Hughes Medical Institute and provided strategic leadership at Wellcome Trust that developed the culture and frameworks to evaluate the impact of their funding and strategic initiatives in global health research. Dr. Jones serves on a number of international advisory boards on open science, scholarly publishing, responsible research assessment, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Dr. Jones holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry, cell and developmental biology from Emory University.
About Addgene
Addgene (Watertown, MA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating scientific discoveries by operating a biorepository for researchers. Addgene’s collection contains more than 100,000 plasmids contributed by over 5,000 research labs from around the world. Addgene also provides over 700 ready-to-use AAV and lentivirus preparations of commonly requested plasmids as a service to scientists - saving them time and providing thorough quality control. Over 1.6 million plasmids have been distributed to 108 countries by Addgene. By authenticating, storing, archiving, and distributing plasmids, antibodies, virus, and their associated data, Addgene is creating a lasting resource for research and discovery scientists around the world. For more information, visit https://www.addgene.org.