Women Leaders in Food & Agricultural Science & Technology

Please join us for networking and an engaging panel discussion featuring amazing local leaders sharing about their careers in agricultural science and technology. This Earth Day event offers a unique opportunity to gain insights from pioneering women who are shaping the future of food and agriculture.

In addition to thought-provoking discussions, we'll provide delicious food and refreshing drinks to fuel your networking experience. Don’t miss the chance to connect and cultivate new professional relationships. As a special interactive activity, you'll have the opportunity to get hands-on and create seed bombs to take home. These seed bombs not only serve as a fun DIY project but also contribute to environmental sustainability by promoting green spaces and biodiversity. 

Come join us for an inspiring evening celebrating the achievements and contributions of women leaders in agricultural science and technology.

Panelists include:

  • Megan Biango-Daniels, Principal Scientist, Mori
  • Catherine Feuillet, CSO, Inari
  • Jessica Louie, Visiting Scientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Yajie Niu, CSO, Invaio
  • Kellye Eversole, Eversole Associates, Moderator

 

Date and Time:  
April 22, 2024
5:30-7:30 PM ET

Agenda:
5:30-6:30 PM Networking, Appetizers
6:30-7:15 PM Panel
7:15-7:30 PM Networking, Seed Bombs

Location:
Inari, One Kendall Square, Building 600/700, Suite 7-501, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139

Cost:   
Members: $0; Non-Members: $10

 

Given our mission is to promote women's development in STEM we would like to offer a free spot in our workshops to those in transition between jobs or who cannot afford the ticket price. Please contact [email protected] if you qualify.

 

Register Here

 

Thank you to Inari for food, drinks, and venue.


Megan Biango-Daniels - a Principal Scientist at Mori who leads the Microbiology team in developing edible coatings that extend the shelf life of a wide range of fresh food products. Megan is passionate about reducing food waste and has extensive research experience in food microbiology and mycology, specifically disease and spoilage prevention from farm to fork. She is also knowledgeable about beneficial food microbes, particularly those found in sourdough and cheese. She leverages this background as she works closely with teams on Mori’s strategic R&D goals. Megan loves collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure effective planning, coordination, and execution of complex projects. Before joining Mori, Megan earned her PhD in Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Interactions, with a minor in Food Microbiology, from Cornell University’s Hodge lab. She further honed her skills as a postdoctoral researcher in the Wolfe Lab at Tufts University. In her free time, Megan likes to be outside in her organic garden or mushroom foraging.

Catherine Feuillet - Using her deep experience in managing scientific innovation and extensive knowledge in genomics, Catherine leads the development of Inari's cutting-edge SEEDesign™ technology platform to unlock the full potential seed and help transform the global food system. Prior to Inari, she worked at Bayer CropScience as head of trait research and at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) as research director leading the development of wheat genomics projects. Catherine is a co-founder of the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium. She received her Ph.D. from Paul Sabatier University (France) and spent 10 years of academic research in Switzerland, where she researched disease-resistance genes and sought a better understanding of the evolution of wheat and barley.

Jessica Louie - is a Visiting Scientist at MIT Synthetic Biology Center and Boston University Robotics Laboratory, where she is working on translation and impact at the convergence of synthetic biology, AI, and control of biological networks.  Previously she served as CTO of Norfolk Healthy Produce where she helped lead efforts to bring the Purple Tomato from the research lab to the commercial market.  Prior to this, Jessica built and led teams in data strategy, data science, and software engineering at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Joyn Bio, a joint venture between Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks, and helped early-stage sustainability portfolio companies with Flagship Venturelabs’ Cibo Technologies.

Yajie Niu - is Chief Science Officer at Invaio. Prior to this, she was Head of Technology Development and led Invaio’s platform technology development and external technology sourcing and partnering. As CSO, Yajie is responsible for Invaio’s research and development activities, building Invaio’s innovative platform technologies to unlock the potential of nature-inspired bioactives and delivery technologies. Prior to joining Invaio, Yajie was Principal at Flagship Pioneering where she contributed to creating and building agricultural and sustainable portfolio companies. She worked at Inari Agriculture, where she was one of founding members and developed proprietary CRISPR tools for gene modulation.​