Speakers

Rana Dajani

Place of Birth : Dahran, Saudi Arabia
Born : 1969
Position : Professor of Molecular Biology, The Hashemite University, Jordan; Yidan Global Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Field of study : Epigenetics of trauma in vulnerable communities, genetics of ethnic populations for complex diseases, and biomarkers of trauma among refugees.

Dr. Rana Dajani is a distinguished scholar, social entrepreneur, and global thought leader with extensive expertise in molecular biology, epigenetics, and public service. She is currently a Yidan Global Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Full Professor of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the Hashemite University in Jordan. Her research focuses on the epigenetics of trauma and the genetics of ethnic populations for complex diseases. Dr. Dajani is the founder of the "We Love Reading" initiative, a global grassroots movement that fosters a love of reading in underserved communities and has established over 8,000 locally run libraries in more than 70 countries. A staunch advocate for building indigenous research capabilities, she has served as the president of the Society for the Advancement of Science and Technology in the Arab World and has been instrumental in introducing national and regional stem cell laws. Her leadership and academic contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the UNESCO International Literacy Prize, the Jacobs social entrepreneur award, the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, and the Schwab Social Entrepreneur Award. She has also been named a Fulbright, Eisenhower, Robert Bosch, Ashoka, and Yale Morse Fellow, and was listed among the 100 most influential Arab women. Her book, Five Scarves: Doing the Impossible — If We Can Reverse Cell Fate, Why Can’t We Redefine Success?, challenges global policymakers and presents a new paradigm for measuring success. She has served as a visiting professor at prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Yale, MIT, Cambridge, and the University of Richmond.

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA (Fulbright Scholar)

• Full Professor: The Hashemite University, Jordan (Biology and Biotechnology)
• Visiting Professor: Yale, Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, and University of Richmond
• Yidan Global Fellow: Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Founder: We Love Reading
• President: Society for the Advancement of Science and Technology in the Arab World
• Leader: Introduced national and regional stem cell laws