As a biotech scientist, startup champion and human rights advocate, I have been fortunate to have a network of like-minded people that support me and educate me on how to think critically about my impact. By interacting with Human Rights defenders in Edmonton, I have learned how to consider dignity in all the work that I do within the biotech and startup space. By centring my work on empathy and dignity, I can proactively identify and resolve issues such as exclusion in tech spaces. Recognizing the power of community and collaboration, I build bridges between human rights work and tech by connecting tech companies to human rights defenders. People working in peacebuilding and promotion of human rights can then use greater technological tools to further their cause, as well as provide feedback to technology companies on how to tune these tools to be more inclusive, respectful and transparent.

Collision is a word often used in tech spaces.  It means “confluences of seemingly disconnected disciplines to create a whole new function.” I think we can find sustainable solutions by proactively creating spaces for “collisions” where people from all walks of life meet to innovate collaboratively to address our biggest challenges. This collaborative work is iterative, and institutions will need to become comfortable with failure. My hope is that through these collisions and iterations,  we will create a new status quo of centring our work on empathy and dignity to improve lives and reduce inequity in our society.