Dr. Samira Kiani

Today, we’re Marching for Change with Dr. Samira Kiani, a daughter, sister, aunt, and a genetic engineer, entrepreneur, and provocateur at the frontier of what biotechnology can and should become.

Trained under the pioneers of gene editing at MIT and formerly Associate Professor of Pathology and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, she left a tenured position and some of the field's most coveted recognition—including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), awarded by President Biden—to do something the scientific establishment rarely rewards: ask why.

She is the co-founder of HexemBio, a biotechnology company building the world's first human early developmental niche platform, and GenexGen, which pioneers next-generation gene regulation solutions. She is also the creator of Make People Better, a documentary that premiered at Hot Docs and brought the story of the world's first gene-edited babies to global audiences. She started Tomorrow Life, an initiative bridging science, art, and society at the University.

Samira doesn't just build the future; she interrogates it, insisting that the most powerful technologies of our time demand not just brilliant minds, but conscious ones.

Listen to Samira’s inspiring story.