Congratulations to Ryan Clarke (BS ’14) on receiving a 2026 Forward Award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA)! The Forward Award acknowledges rising stars in various fields who exemplify the Wisconsin Idea through an emphasis on service, discovery, and progress. Young alumni within 15 years of graduation who have demonstrated exceptional early-career achievement and a positive impact on their professions or communities are eligible to receive the award.
Clarke is cofounder and chief scientific officer of Syntax Bio, a Chicago-based company working to speed up development of stem cell therapies. Its proprietary CRISPR-based platform, Cellgorithm(TM), aims to more efficiently guide stem cells into specific cell types for research and regenerative medicine — replacing a manual, months-long process with technology that could make developing future therapies faster, less expensive, and easier to scale.
Clarke worked in multiple labs while he was an undergraduate student at UW–Madison, but it was experience with chemical engineering professor Brian Pfleger that solidified his interest in synthetic biology and applied research. He later completed a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where his work with mentor and Syntax Bio cofounder Brad Merrill helped lay the scientific foundation for the Cellgorithm technology.
“I don’t think I’d be in this position today without the UW — the structure of the training, access to faculty and other expertise, and the willingness of so many people to be mentors,” Clarke says. “It was an inclusive, friendly environment. I was surrounded by all types of people — not just scientists and engineers — and that was really important to me.”