Bio:

Dr. Meher Antia is director of grant programs at Washington Research Foundation, where she leads all grant-making activities to support innovation and technology commercialization in life sciences at nonprofit research institutions across Washington State. In addition, she serves in an advisory role for WRF Capital’s startup investments.

Prior to joining WRF, Meher worked in strategic roles in clinical and translational sciences and population health at the University of Washington (UW). Before coming to UW, she spent several years at the Wellcome Trust in London, where she was responsible for a portfolio of early-stage technology commercialization projects in therapeutics and medical devices. At Wellcome, she also managed major programs in structural biology and advanced microscopy and led a high-profile funding initiative in medical engineering.

Meher has worked as a science writer for several magazines, including The Economist and Science. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in physics and a Ph.D. in bioengineering.