Gitanjali Rao Keynote Speaker

Gitanjali Rao is a young innovator, author, and changemaker, who has devoted her life to promoting STEM education to make science and technology more accessible to everyone. She has quickly gained a reputation as a public speaker for her insightful and engaging speeches on science, technology, and innovation.

As of 2014, Gitanjali has been a Director and Board Member of the Children’s Kindness Network. In this role, she works with other young volunteers, conducting kindness sessions to teach the youth about empathy and compassion. She is a self-employed developer and public speaker, covering topics related to females in stem, the state of science, innovation, science and technology.

As a researcher, Gitanjali has worked with many high-profile companies, including the University of Colorado, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, The 3D Printing Store, and Lockheed Martin. She served as a Research Intern at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.

Her passion for science and making a difference in the world by helping to solve some of its biggest problems inspired Gitanjali to publish her 2021 book A Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM. The book is a bold and innovative exploration of how we can build on the latest scientific developments to create innovations that will change lives for generations.

At the age of 11, working as a student researcher at Denver Water, Gitanjali worked on a portable device to detect lead in water which could help prevent poisoning in children. This invention won her the prestigious Young Innovator of the Year award. Her other accolades and rewards include the Young Scientist Award from the Google Science Fair, TIME’s Top Young Innovator, and Forbes 30 Under 30 for Science.

Gitanjali is driven by her passion for making the world a better place. She has addressed countless audiences and delivered multiple TED and TEDx speeches, including TEDx Chennai, TEDx Nashville and TEDxGateway. She sees science and technology as the tools we need to solve some of our most pressing problems – from climate change to energy insecurity ad has put in hard work developing new technologies to help improve people’s lives.