Harold McNamara

Harold McNamara

Yale

Trinity College Dublin (TCD)

Medicine/Healthcare

Harry is a Lewis-Sigler Scholar and Lecturer at Princeton University, where he researches biophysics, bioengineering, and synthetic biology. Previously, he received his PhD in Physics at Harvard, where he was also affiliated with the Harvard-MIT Division Health Sciences and Technology. Harry is the scientific co-founder of c16 Biosciences, a biotechnology company which uses micro- and synthetic biology to create sustainable alternatives to palm oil. In 2020, his company received $20 million in a funding round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a fund founded by Bill Gates. A 2014 Mitchell Scholar, Harry obtained his MSc in Bioengineering at Trinity College Dublin. While studying on the island he enjoyed immersing himself in the culture in Dublin, and he also used it as an opportunity to learn more about his family’s Irish heritage. One of Harry’s favorite experiences was scuba diving with the Dublin University Sub-Aqua Club, where met new people and explored different areas of the island with Irish students. The Bioengineering MSc was his first formal degree in a biological field, and it also gave him the opportunity to publish research with Trinity College faculty. This experience helped shape his future research direction at the interface of physics, biology, and engineering at Harvard and beyond. Harry obtained his undergraduate degree from Yale.