Rana Dajani is currently a Yidan Global Fellow at Harvard Graduate school of Education, a professor of molecular biology at the Hashemite University in Jordan. Her area of expertise is epigenetics and biomarkers of trauma among refugees. Through her leadership, she has introduced national and regional stem cell laws and presided over numerous scientific boards and United Nations councils, most recently as the President of the Society for the Advancement of Science and Technology in the Arab World. Visiting professor at Harvard, Yale, MIT, Jepson School of Leadership and Cambridge.

A tireless supporter of building indigenous research capabilities in the developing world and creating a mentoring program to support women scholars in STEM that was recognized by the National Academy of Sciences.

Rana is a social entrepreneur and global thought leader. She is the founder of We Love Reading, a grassroots initiative to create changemakers in underserved communities by fostering a lifelong love of reading. A recipient of the UNESCO International Literacy Prize, We Love Reading has established more than 8,000 locally run libraries in over 70 countries.  

Rana has also been recognized as a Fulbright, Eisenhower, Robert Bosch, Ashoka and Yale Morse Fellow. On the list of the 100 most influential Arab Women and receiving the Jacobs social entrepreneur award, Nansen UNHCR refugee award, and the Schwab Social Entrepreneur Award.

Her 2018 book Five Scarves: Doing the Impossible — If We Can Reverse Cell Fate, Why Can’t We Redefine Success? challenged global policy makers to address ongoing inequities in education and employment, while also putting forward a new paradigm for measuring success in an evolving world. 

Session Title: Towards Inclusive Science: Empowering Women Scientists

Presentation title: Title: Doing the impossible: if we can reverse cell fate why can’t we reimagine success

ABSTRACT

As humans we have evolved to be storytellers. In the spirit of evolution I will tell my story describing the multiple roles I play i.e. the scarves I wear as a mother, educator, scientist, social innovator and activist. In my journey I will share vulnerabilities and how I dealt with change while being positive and realistic drawing from my culture and upbringing. Drawing from the spirit of my grandmother's wisdom I will present a new framework for systems change to create a future world for humanity and Earth.