What according to you makes one a dynamic leader? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?
Willing to be inclusive of other people’s differences and opinions are a lot to handle as a leader, but it makes for a thoughtful, empathetic, and strong figurehead. I realized this over time, when I started to be the team lead in consulting projects and hire interns–I learned the value of mentoring young people that have different niches, and voices to add. For example, when launching my startup project Futureshot Factory, I chose to hire 2 interns to assist in our collaborations, and I stayed active in training them by opening up a slack channel, private coaching sessions as well as weekly meetings. I furthermore offered my network to them and nominated my interns for awards, jobs, and other internships that would accelerate their careers after they left the company.
Talk to us about your growing-up years. What led you to be involved with the idea of changing the world at such a young age?
There’s so much continuous pressure on young high school students to rigorously focus on academics and school extracurriculars, that there is no time left for them to branch out and apply themselves to adventurous situations, or practice real-life skills in companies through internships. It’s quite disheartening, and I really felt that I was lucky enough to escape that. I started becoming a medical researcher at 16, which snowballed into opportunities of me being part of accelerator programs, and soon, traveling around the world to represent organizations at conferences, by keynoting at them.
I noticed the growing need for young women of color in the fields of stem and social advocacy, to bridge the gender disparity gap and make women speaking up the new norm. I feel blessed that I was able to continue school online for the remainder of my high school career, as I’m aware others don’t have the same luxury. My family, guidance counselors and mentors got me to where I am.
How are you empowering developing countries to utilize AR and VR in genome research?
During my time at SickKids, I joined the AI & genomics lab network to develop creative approaches to using AI algorithms for human genome mapping; or detecting faulty genes in the body before they developed into other worse diseases. Before then, I never really took the time to really process how artificial intelligence can intersect with genomic data and access parts of our bodies or make future predictions in a way humans cannot. In addition to that learning curve, I also got to apply my skills specifically with virtual/augmented reality to make 3D heart models that better detail what’s going on in the human body with heart defects or cardiac diseases. The Heart Research department I was working in was studying the effects of a disease called Pulmonary Vein Stenosis, a rare disease in young children & newborns associated with high mortality that results in the narrowing of pulmonary veins.
I thought about how 3D bioprinting would play a role in this, as many labs have been printing live human heart models that can replace damaged ones in the body. This research is still in its theory phase, as there are many complications such as not having personalized hearts to fit the human body, ethical questions, etc. However, bioprinting offers a permanent, safer solution that can re-establish blood flow in the body long term, by replacing the constrained heart with an artificial, one constructed by using a patient’s own stem cells to limit rejection.
What has the journey been like for Riya Mehta over the years? Looking back, what would you have done differently when starting out?
To give some back history on my journey in STEM and social justice, I’ve been a research associate at The Institute for Economics and Peace think tank for the past 2 years, conducting research into the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and what it means for the economy in the Middle East, with a focus on ethnic conflict. As a Canadian representative for the UNITAR council, I work with UN officials to help rebuild communities afflicted by civil wars. I also serve as a commitment maker for UN Women, to educate the general public on conflicts such as the Ukrainian war.
I would shadow my superiors, as I interacted with the parents of patients to provide comfort and give them hope as they continued their journey in the hospital. The more time I spent there, the more I became grateful for my privilege in life, and instead of looking at world problems in a negative way, I started channeling my energy toward co-creating solutions. If I could go back, I would attempt to make my voice more heard in both smaller and bigger environments, as I could’ve played a more active role in providing recommendations to better-known people in the industry. I believe being shy at first and not making my thoughts known cost me certain connections and a stronger network, which is why I urge everyone to be comfortable with getting uncomfortable and take pride in uncertain situations.
What would be your advice for young and aspiring women leaders or entrepreneurs?
Ensure you start building cultural capital for yourselves, especially in our current climate with more young people getting involved in huge companies such as Google or Tesla, many career-advancing programs are built upon the network and connections you make with mentors, women leaders, and industry giants that are willing to help you along on your journey. There is so much opportunity for young girls to take advantage of and make a real change, a tangible one which is all due to adult donors, supporters, and those who constantly stand up for women-led organizations, in an effort to be a pillar of strength for the next generation of girls.
Continue to believe in strong-minded young women, and show your support, because there are more chances now than ever for girls to be involved in areas of research, social activism, and change that can not only benefit them but others as well. If we want to see real impact, see others make an actual difference, we have to actively support the next generation who can bring that about, and that are the young women leaders, those who constantly work to provide a better future for all.
What has been the biggest roadblock during your journey? What has been your biggest learning?
One of the most significant problems I’ve faced is the best way to be heard in industry meetings, projects and how to be bold when presenting keynotes. As a young woman of color, I appreciate the challenges associated with others much older than me, taking my opinions seriously as over time I became more articulate in discussing my wants with others, rather than sitting idly. I see myself as a moonshot thinker, with many people resisting my dreams at the beginning of my journey, which evidently did not stop me from wanting to pursue them.
Moving forward, what does the future look like for you? What is your long-term vision?
I envision our planet utilizing carbon capture systems to not only rid mass amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere but also convert carbon dioxide into other resources such as graphene, diesel fuel, or concrete. I believe that direct air capture can be a shift towards megatonne-sized solutions. We require new, innovative ways of thinking if we hope to sustain our planet and continue to witness its beauty.
Personally, I see my pathway heading in the direction of social justice advocacy and creating more impact with my initiatives in political journalism, continuing with submitting articles for magazines and newspapers. I hope to become a greater figurehead, so other young girls can look up to me and hopefully pick up some advice on getting started in the STEM and social justice space as a student in high school.
Contact Riya Mehta on Linkedin.
