WIB-Seattle Leadership Spotlight: Fariha Ahmed-Qadri

Fariha Ahmed-Qadri
Senior Associate Scientist at Ozette Technologies
WIB-Seattle 2021–2023 DEI Committee Chair

Although Fariha originally planned to study as a pre-medical student, she found herself seriously pursuing research part of the way through her education. “I did an independent study class with a medical center in Omaha, and I fell in love with research,” she said. “Both of my brothers are physicians, and they’re able to help individuals with their care. But I think of scientists as helping humans in a broader sense.” After earning her bachelor’s in biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Fariha continued her education at Columbia University, where she earned a master’s in molecular genetics. 

Over the past 10 years, Fariha has focused on some of the earliest stages of drug development, working as a scientist for preclinical and in vivo studies. She worked for some of Seattle’s massive research institutions, including Fred Hutch and the University of Washington, as well as some biotech startups, like NanoString Technologies and Alpine Immune Sciences. “It’s easy to feel intimidated by the field and breaking through that social norm that women can’t do science,” she said. “But I feel like everyone feels that way at some point, specifically in science, because of the math and science aspects. If you have an inclination, you can always grow, as a person as well as a scientist, if you push yourself.”

Fariha first heard about Women In Bio when she worked at Zymeworks, where she focused on pharmacology research. “There was a Women in Zymeworks group, and a few of the WIB-Seattle board members came to talk to us,” she said. “I felt like getting involved on a bigger scale would be better. I made some really great connections with people.” For Fariha, the biggest benefit of joining WIB was finding like-minded women to share experiences with. “The whole benefit of WIB is the community. The only way to get involved is to be present, so attend as much as you can and talk to as many people as possible,” she said.

One of Fariha’s takeaways from her time with the WIB-Seattle board was not only making those valuable connections within the biotech community but also redefining what success means to her. “Success means that you are happy and content. For me, it’s when I feel like I'm making a difference,” she said. Fariha’s passion for making a difference in research has led her to her current role, where she’s pushing the boundaries of research with artificial intelligence. “Science appeals to me because it's all about questions,” she said. “Ozette Technologies is on the cutting edge of a new field, analysis using AI technology. It’s fun and exciting to be a pioneer.” 

We are so grateful to Fariha for leading our DEI Committee for two years. Her ambition and determination to help others have inspired our chapter, and we can’t wait to see what she achieves in the future!

Submitted by Mariana Huben