Samira Kiani’s career is built around her passion for applying the CRISPR technology to synthetic biology. She has demonstrated the generation of complex synthetic gene circuits with CRISPR modifications. As an Assistant Professor in the school of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at Arizona State University, she has established her research program to combine CRISPR technology with Synthetic biology with an interest to develop safer and controllable gene therapies.
Prior to joining ASU, she finished her postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Ron Weiss (MIT), where she also established collaborative projects with Dr. George Church’s lab (Harvard) to further advance CRISPR technology. She is the recipient of DARPA Young Faculty Award. To explore broader impact of this research, she is collaborating with Rhumbline Media on a gene editing communication campaign “Code of the Wild”, to create a platform for conversation between scientists and public on this subject.