Helia
Samani

Helia Samani serves as a program associate for NTI’s Global Biological Policy and Programs team (NTI | bio). In this role, she supports a range of initiatives aimed at reducing catastrophic biological risks and promoting the responsible development and governance of emerging biotechnologies. Her portfolio includes the Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative (BIRRI), the AIxBio Global Forum, and NTI | bio’s congressional outreach and advocacy efforts.

Prior to joining NTI, Samani was a policy fellow at the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, where she supported the development of national biotechnology and biosecurity policy. She contributed to legislative recommendations for Congress, analyzed gaps in biomanufacturing infrastructure and supply chains, and helped advance strategies to accelerate innovation and strengthen system resilience.

She also served at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and conducted high-containment microbiology and immunology research at the University of California, Berkeley. Her academic work focused on host-pathogen interactions, vaccine development, and immune response mechanisms to bacterial agents, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Listeria monocytogenes.

Samani is bilingual in English and Persian, with additional proficiency in Spanish and German. She holds a BS in Microbial Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently pursuing an MA in International Science and Technology Policy at the George Washington University.