Tania Simoncelli

Tania Simoncelli is the Vice President of Science in Society at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where she has been working since April 2021. Previously, she served as the Director of Science Policy at the same organization from August 2017 to April 2021.12 Simoncelli has a rich background in science policy and advocacy, having held significant roles such as Senior Advisor to the Director at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Assistant Director for Forensic Science and Biomedical Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.23

Her career also includes positions at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where she was instrumental in challenging the patenting of human genes, a case that reached the Supreme Court.23 Simoncelli was recognized by Nature as one of "ten people who mattered" in 2013 for her work on this landmark case.23

Academically, Simoncelli holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Society from Cornell University and a Master of Science in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.13 Her work focuses on addressing complex issues at the intersection of science, technology, law, and ethics.3