Bina Venkataraman

Bina Venkataraman is a writer and leader who works at the intersection of social progress, emerging technology & environmental change. She currently serves as the Editorial Page Editor of the Boston Globe. Previously, she taught in the program on science, technology, and society at MIT and served as the Director of Global Policy Initiatives at the Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT.  She is also a fellow at New America and a former journalist for The New York Times and The Boston Globe. She is the author of the book “The Optimist’s Telescope,” named a best book of 2019 by NPR.

Bina previously served as Senior Advisor for Climate Change Innovation in the Obama White House, where she forged partnerships among communities, companies, and government to prepare for climate disasters. She also advised the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in responding to the Ebola epidemic, promoting patient access to cancer therapies, and reforming public school science education.  Her first book, The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age, will be published by Riverhead on August 27th.

Bina is an alumna of Brown University and Harvard’s Kennedy School and was a 2015 FAF Young Leader.