Mark J. Poznansky

Mark J. Poznansky is a Canadian author, research scientist, speaker, futurist, and scientist blogger. He is the past President and CEO of the Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) and was previously Chair of the Board of OGI and CEO, President, and Scientific Director of Robarts Research Institute.

He is a member of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of Ontario, and the founder of Saved By Science, a website that features blogs about how scientific discoveries are going to save our planet.

Earning his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. at McGill University, Poznansky completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School.

Mark J. Poznansky is the author of Saved by Science (2020). The book outlines how humans can harness the power of science to solve humanity’s big, existential problems, such as health, hunger, and pollution. The scientist examines the many crises facing humanity while encouraging us with the promise of an emerging solution: synthetic biology. This is the science of building simple organisms, or “biological apps,” to make manufacturing greener, energy production more sustainable, agriculture more robust, and medicine more powerful and precise.

The American book review magazine Kirkus Reviews said the book was "energetic and optimistic" and “shows how synthetic biology can be used to contend with major issues involving health, food, and the environment."

Dr. Poznansky has published over 100 research papers, reviews, and editorials. He is an in-demand speaker on topics such as personalized medicine, climate change, the future of agriculture, and synthetic biology. He also holds numerous scientific patents.

Photo credit: Twitter @saved_byscience