Catharine Young, PhD

Co-Founder

Originally from South Africa, Dr. Catharine Young holds a doctorate degree in Biomedical Sciences and currently serves as the Senior Director of Policy for the Biden Cancer Initiative. Prior to this position, Catharine served as the Senior Science and Innovation Policy Advisor and Head of the DC team for the Foreign Commonwealth Office. Based at the British Embassy, Catharine influenced science and innovation policies of both the UK and US governments, industry, and academia. Following her Postdoctoral training at Cornell University in Biomedical Engineering, Catharine was selected as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs. Here she led international engagements on eliminating biological weapons, improving biosafety and biosecurity, and establishing and enhancing biosurveillance capacity. Catharine also co-founded Blueprint International, a non-profit dedicated to providing novel technological solutions to some of the world’s most pressing social issues.

Recent awards include being selected as a TED Fellow, Alexandria 40 Under 40 and Social Enablers top 100 most inspiring social entrepreneurs. Catharine is an advocate for women in STEM and has been a contributor to major social and media networks including TED-Ed, the Guardian and the UK Science and Innovation Network.