Photo: Teemu Rajala, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons⁶⁸

Robert S. Langer, Jr.

American scientist and academic

Robert Samuel Langer Jr. FREng (born August 29, 1948) is an American biotechnologist, businessman, chemical engineer, chemist, and inventor.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert S. Langer, Jr. (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Aug 29, 1948.¹

About

He is one of the 12 Institute Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He was formerly the Germeshausen Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and maintains activity in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT. He is also a faculty member of the Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.

Langer has received the worlds 2 highest engineering honors - the Charles Stark Draper Prize and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (each of which has been called the Engineering Nobel Prize). He is the only person to have received both of these awards individually. Langer holds over 1,400 granted or pending patents. He is one of the world's most highly cited researchers and his h-index is now (according to Google Scholar, 2026-9-22) 340 with currently over 486,000 citations. He is a widely recognized and cited researcher in biotechnology, especially in the fields of drug delivery systems and tissue engineering.

He is the most cited engineer in history and one of the 10 most cited individuals in any field, having authored over 1,600 scientific papers. Langer is also a prolific businessman, having been behind the participation in the founding of over 40 biotechnology companies including the well-known American pharmaceutical company, Moderna.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert S. Langer, Jr., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

Seer, IncBoard member Dec 3, 2020 to now⁵⁴
ModernaBoard member 2010 to now⁵⁵
Korro Bio, Inc.Board member Oct 2, 2019 to Aug 19, 2022⁵⁶
Lyra Therapeutics, Inc.Board member Apr 30, 2020 to May 6, 2020⁵⁷
Rubius Therapeutics (United States)Board member Jul 17, 2018 to Oct 17, 2019⁵⁸
Kala Pharmaceuticals (United States)Board member Jul 19, 2017 to Jun 15, 2018⁵⁹

Holdings

Stock this person has reported owning, from the forms officers and directors file with the SEC. See the biggest insider stakes.

Shares held

Moderna MRNA11,481,093 shares⁶⁰$2.6B at $226.67Feb 3, 2023
Seer, Inc SEER821,025 shares⁶¹$1.7M at $2.03Jul 28, 2026

As of each latest filing. The line shows shares held over time.

Recent filings

Jul 28, 2026Granted 16,500 shares of Seer, Inc⁶¹
Jul 7, 2025Granted 20,500 shares of Seer, Inc⁶²
Jun 12, 2024Granted 58,178 shares of Seer, Inc⁶³
Jun 14, 2023Granted 23,443 shares of Seer, Inc⁶⁴
Jun 15, 2022Granted 9,945 shares of Seer, Inc⁶⁵
May 5, 2022Gift 703 shares of Moderna⁶⁰
Apr 28, 2022Exercised options 703 shares of Moderna⁶⁶
Jan 10, 2022Converted 327,102 shares of Seer, Inc⁶⁷

Early life and education

1970Cornell University Bachelor of Science; chemical engineering³
1974Massachusetts Institute of Technology Doctor of Science; chemical engineering³
Date not recordedThe Milne School³
Date not recordedCornell University College of Engineering³

Langer was born August 29, 1948, in Albany, New York.

He is an alumnus of The Milne School and received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University in chemical engineering. He earned his Sc.D. in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974. His dissertation was entitled "Enzymatic regeneration of ATP" and completed under the direction of Clark K. Colton. From 1974–1977 he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Children's Hospital Boston and at Harvard Medical School under Judah Folkman.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert S. Langer, Jr. (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: university teacher, chemical engineer, engineer, biochemist, inventor, biotechnologist.⁷

Since 2010Board member, Moderna⁶
Date not recordedWorked at Harvard University⁴
Date not recordedWorked at Massachusetts Institute of Technology^{4 5}

Langer has been involved in the founding of many companies, more than twenty in partnership with the venture capital firm Polaris Partners.

These companies include:

Success of these other companies and Langer's contribution has been detailed by Harvard Business Review:.

Langer is a member of the Advisory Board of Patient Innovation, a nonprofit, international, multilingual, free venue for patients and caregivers of any disease to share their innovations. He is also a member of the Xconomists, an ad hoc team of editorial advisors for the tech news and media company, Xconomy.

He also serves as a Scientific Advisor to Helus Pharma and Lindus Health.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert S. Langer, Jr. (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

BornAug 29, 1948, Albany^{8 9}
CitizenshipUnited States^{10 11}

Awards

2024Kavli Prize in Neuroscience^{12 53}
2023Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research^{12 52}
2016Benjamin Franklin Medal^{12 50}
2016European Inventor Award^{12 51}
2015Hoover Medal^{12 49}
2015Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering^{12 47}
2015Scheele Award^{12 48}
2014Biotechnology Heritage Award^{12 44}
2014Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences^{12 43}
2014Chemical Pioneer Award^{12 46}

More awards (37)

2014Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology^{12 45}
2013IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology^{12 40}
2013IRI Medal^{12 41}
2013Wolf Prize in Chemistry^{12 42}
2012Perkin Medal^{12 39}
2012Priestley Medal^{12 38}
2012Wilhelm Exner Medal^{12 37}
2011Clarivate Citation Laureates^{12 34}
2011National Medal of Technology and Innovation^{12 35}
2011Warren Alpert Foundation Prize^{12 36}
2009honorary doctor of Harvard University^{12 33}
2008Max Planck Research Award¹²
2008Millennium Technology Prize^{12 32}
2008Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research^{12 31}
2007Herman Mark Award in Polymer Chemistry^{12 30}
2006National Inventors Hall of Fame¹²
2006National Medal of Science^{12 29}
2005Albany Medical Center Prize^{12 26}
2005Dan David Prize^{12 25}
2005Von Hippel Award^{12 27}
2005Washington Award^{12 28}
2004Kettering Prize^{12 24}
2003Harvey Prize^{12 22}
2003Heinz Award^{12 21}
2003John Fritz Medal^{12 23}
2002Charles Stark Draper Prize^{12 20}
2002Dickson Prize in Science^{12 19}
2002Othmer Gold Medal^{12 18}
1998Lemelson–MIT Prize^{12 17}
1996Canada Gairdner International Award^{12 16}
1992Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering^{12 15}
Date not recordedFellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society^{12 14}
Date not recordedHonorary doctor of the Catholic University of Louvain¹²
Date not recordedhonorary doctor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem¹²
Date not recordedhonorary doctor of the University of Uppsala¹²
Date not recordedhonorary doctorate at the Laval University^{12 13}
Date not recordedhonorary doctorate of Technion¹²

Sources

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WikidataRobert S. Langer, Jr. on Wikidata
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WikipediaRobert S. Langer, Jr. on Wikipedia
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WikidataRobert S. Langer, Jr.: education, on Wikidata
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WikidataRobert S. Langer, Jr.: Worked at Harvard University, on Wikidata
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WikidataWorked at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as reported
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WikidataRobert S. Langer, Jr.: Board member, Moderna, on Wikidata
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WikidataRobert S. Langer, Jr.: place of birth, on Wikidata
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Wikidataplace of birth, as reported
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WikidataRobert S. Langer, Jr.: citizenship, on Wikidata
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SEC EDGARSeer, Inc, Board member
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Wikidata and SEC EDGARModerna, Board member
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SEC EDGARKorro Bio, Inc., Board member
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SEC EDGARLyra Therapeutics, Inc., Board member
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SEC EDGARRubius Therapeutics (United States), Board member
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SEC EDGARKala Pharmaceuticals (United States), Board member
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SEC EDGARModerna shares after the filing of Feb 3, 2023
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SEC EDGARSeer, Inc shares after the filing of Jul 28, 2026
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SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Jul 9, 2025
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SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Jun 14, 2024
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SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Jun 16, 2023
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SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Jun 17, 2022
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SEC EDGARForm 4 filed May 2, 2022
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SEC EDGARForm 4 filed Jan 12, 2022
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Wikimedia CommonsRobert S. Langer, Jr. photo by Teemu Rajala, CC BY 3.0

About

Companies

Holdings

Shares held

Recent filings

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Awards

Links

Sources