Speaker Details

Anissa Belfetmi

Anissa has ten years of research experience in protein and nucleic acid interactions, studying their role in health. After completing her Bachelor’s in Biochemistry in Algeria, she went to France for a Master's in Cell and Molecular Biology at Sorbonne University. Then, she fulfilled a thesis to study the HIV-1 Nucleocapsid protein under the supervision of Dr. Olivier Mauffret at ENS Paris-Saclay. She is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School, under the supervision of Dr. Gerhard Wagner, a pioneer in NMR spectroscopy and mRNA translation initiation. Her biochemistry background allowed her to explore different mechanisms related to diseases and health, such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type I (HIV-1), Leishmania, Malaria, Immuno-Oncology, and Blood-Brain barrier targets. She also has been a Harvard Office of Technology Business Development (OTD) fellow, translating technology into a commercial product. She extensively navigated innovation's intellectual property strategy from outstanding Harvard researchers, focusing on licensing or venture creation.

During her career, she met inspiring scientists and developed a network of experts worldwide with whom she frequently engages in mentoring programs. Anissa co-founded the Algerian Women in Science (ALWIS), an initiative to provide an online mentoring community and help women in STEMM.