Aviv Regev

Aviv Regev
Born	(1971-07-11) July 11, 1971
Occupation(s)	Computational and systems biologist
Known for	Single-cell genomics, Human Cell Atlas

Aviv Regev (Hebrew: אביב רגב; born 11 July 1971) is a specialist in computational and systems biology, currently holding the position of Executive Vice President and Head of Genentech Research and Early Development at Genentech/Roche. She is presently on leave from her roles as a core member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and as a professor in MIT's Department of Biology. Regev is recognized as a trailblazer in the fields of single-cell genomics and computational analysis of gene regulatory networks. Alongside Sarah Teichmann, she co-established and directs the Human Cell Atlas initiative. Since 2024, she has been part of the scientific advisory board for the Arc Institute.

Education

Regev completed her doctoral studies through the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Students at Tel Aviv University, under the mentorship of Eva Jablonka and Ehud Shapiro.

Career and research

In 2020, Regev assumed leadership as head and executive vice president of Research and Early Development at Genentech in South San Francisco, joining Roche’s broader corporate executive committee. Before this, she was a Core Institute Member (currently on leave), chaired the Faculty, founded the Klarman Cell Observatory, and co-directed the Cell Circuits Program at the Broad Institute affiliated with MIT and Harvard. Additionally, she held a professorship in MIT’s Department of Biology (on leave) and was an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Her scientific investigations center on gene expression, where she has pioneered both experimental techniques and computational strategies in single-cell genomics. Her contributions include creating module networks to detect regulatory modules within gene expression datasets and utilizing π-calculus frameworks to simulate biochemical pathways. In 2014, she introduced and co-launched the Human Cell Atlas project with Sarah Teichmann, an international effort aimed at cataloging every human cell type to propel advancements in precision medicine and biomedical sciences.

Single Cell Genomics

Regev’s laboratory has been at the forefront of developing critical experimental protocols and computational tools in single-cell and spatial genomics, particularly advancing single-cell RNA-Seq (scRNA-seq) technology.

Awards and honors

Regev has been honored as a fellow by the International Society of Computational Biology (ISCB) in 2017, designated a Helmholtz Fellow in 2020, and named a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in 2021. She gained membership in the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2019 and the US National Academy of Medicine (NAM) in 2020. In 2024, she was elected as a foreign member of the Royal Society as well as an associate member of the European Molecular Biology Organization.

Key accolades include:

• William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology (2025)
• Streisinger Memorial Lecture (2025)
• Sune Bergström Award (2025)
• Shai Shacknai Memorial Prize in Immunology and Cancer Research (2024)
• TED AI Talk 2023: Can AI Help Develop New Medicines
• Laureate for North America at the 25th L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards (2023)
• Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2022)
• Nakasone Award from Human Frontiers Science Program (2022)
• Honorary doctorate conferred by ETH Zurich (2021)
• Recipient of the Ernst Schering Prize (2021)
• James Prize for Science and Technology Integration from NAS (2021)
• Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science (2021)
• Awarded the 25th Keio Medical Science Prize (2020)
• Distinguished Lecture sponsored by AACR-Irving Weinstein Foundation (2021)
• Lurie Prize awarded by Foundation for NIH (FNIH) (2020)

Additional earlier recognitions include:

• Mendel Lecture, European Society of Human Genetics (2020)
• Jonathan Kraft Prize from Massachusetts General Hospital (2020)
• FASEB Excellence in Science Mid-Career Investigator Award (2019)
• Served on Life Sciences jury for Infosys Prize (2018)
• Weatherall Lecture at University of Oxford (2018)
• Harvey Lecture presented by Harvey Society, New York (2018)
• McCormick Lecture at Stanford University (2018)
• Awarded Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research (2017)
• ISCB Innovator Award recipient (2017)
• Earl and Thressa Stadtman Scholar Award from ASBMB (2014)
• Career Award from Burroughs Wellcome Fund
• NIH Director’s Pioneer Award recipient (2008)
• Honored with Overton Prize recognizing early to mid-career scientists (2008)