Isha Datar
Isha Datar is the executive director of New Harvest and known for her work in cellular agriculture, the production of agricultural products from cell cultures.
Isha Datar | |
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Born | January 6, 1988 |
Education | |
Occupation | Executive Director of New Harvest |
Organization | New Harvest |
Website | New Harvest Profile |
Early life and education
Datar was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[1][2] Her mother worked at a dairy farm, where Datar spent much of her childhood growing vegetables alongside her mother. Her mother was also a sculptor and her father was a doctor.[3] After an elementary school field trip to a landfill, she became invested in reducing global waste and the impact of climate change.[1] Datar received a B.S. from the University of Alberta in 2009.[2][4] During her time as an undergraduate, Datar took a meat science class that challenged her idealistic vision of the sustainability of the animal agriculture industry and introduced her to cellular agriculture.[5] Datar received her M.Biotech from the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2013.[2][4]
Career
In 2009, Datar published "Possibilities for an in-vitro meat production system" in Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, which detailed the progress of cellular agriculture.[4][3] The paper was sent to Jason Matheny - founder and then-director of New Harvest - who forwarded the paper to those who were mentioned in it.[4][6] In 2013 Datar became the CEO at New Harvest.[1][2][7] Datar also founded found Muufri (now Perfect Day)[8] and Clara Foods (now The EVERY Company).[2][4][6][7] In 2021, Robert Downey Jr. funded Datar's work through his 'fast grants' project.[9] Datar has been profiled in media venues including USA Today,[10] the magazine Toronto Life,[11] the Calgary Herald.[12] She has spoken with NPR's Science Friday,[13] The New Republic,[14] Food & Wine magazine,[15] and the National Observer.[16]
Awards and honors
Canadian Business spotlighted her work as a 2016 Change Agent.[17] In 2019, Datar was named one of 25 Food and Agriculture Leaders to Watch by FoodTank.com.[18]
References
- Wong, Kristine. "Isha Datar is Creating a Path Forward for Alternative Animal Protein". Food & Wine. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- Hui, Ann. "Milk's next frontier: Lab-made food could change the way we eat – and it's quickly becoming a reality". The Globe and Mail.
- Palet, Laura Secorun. "ISHA DATAR CAN GROW YOUR STEAK IN A LAB". ozy.com. OZY. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- McGivern, Chris (October 2019). "Isha Datar: New Harvest and the Post-Animal Bioeconomy". Shuttleworth Foundation. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- Treleaven, Sarah (July 2016). "MS. CHATELAINE: Isha Datar". Chatelaine. Vol. 89, no. 7. St. Joseph Communications. p. 16. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- Shapiro, Paul (2018). Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World. Gallery Books.
- Smith, Allison. "Conversation with Isha Datar, Executive Director of New Harvest". Animal Charity Evaluators. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- Hui, Ann (February 15, 2020). "Milk's next frontier: Lab-made food could change the way we eat - and it's quickly becoming a reality: Dairy farmers are pushing back and current regulations are a roadblock, but proponents say the future is already here". The Globe and Mail (Online), Toronto.
- LANG, ROBERT DOWNEY JR AND DAVID (2021-12-15). "Robert Downey Jr.: Here's how to accelerate discoveries to help the planet". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- Palet, Laura Securon (June 10, 2014). "Growing meat … in the lab". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Fraser, Ashley (2019-11-07). "This woman wants to make chickenless eggs and cowless milk". Toronto Life. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Stephenson, Amanda (October 19, 2020). "As industry begins to take off, Alberta researchers working on lab-grown meat". calgaryherald. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "What Is The Future Of Meat?". Science Friday. November 27, 2020. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Aronoff, Kate; Dutkiewicz, Jan; Rosenberg, Gabriel N.; Dutkiewicz, Jan; Rosenberg, Gabriel N.; Martin, Nick; Martin, Nick; Republic, The New; Republic, The New (2021-09-29). "Lab to Table". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- Wong, Kristine (May 24, 2017). "Isha Datar is Creating a Path Forward for Alternative Animal Protein". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "How We Eat". Canada's National Observer. 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- Castaldo, Joe (October 13, 2016). "Change Agents 2016: Isha Datar, New Harvest". Canadian Business.
- Dion, Barth. "25 Food and Agriculture Leaders to Watch in 2019". FoodTank. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
External links
- Re-Thinking Meat: Isha Datar at TEDxToronto on YouTube, April 27, 2013
- Isha Datar: How we could eat real meat without harming animals at TEDMonterey, July 2021