Ana Moreno received a B.S. in Biosystems Engineering with a focus on biosensors and a B.A. in French Literature from the University of Arizona. She went on to earn an M.S. and Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego, where her research focused on developing epigenetic gene therapy platforms using CRISPR-dCas9 and zinc-finger technologies. Ana has authored multiple high-impact research papers, holds six patents, and has received numerous prestigious awards and fellowships, including the CONACYT and UC MEXUS Graduate Fellowships, the Engelson Ph.D. Thesis Award, and the Mitchell Max Award from the NIH Pain Consortium. In recognition of her leadership and innovation in biotechnology, Ana has been named a Termeer Fellow, a UC San Diego Chancellor’s Innovation Award recipient, and the 2024 Biocom California Catalyst Award winner. In 2018, Ana founded Navega Therapeutics, a company dedicated to transforming patients’ lives through AI-enabled epigenetic therapies, with a focus on treating intractable pain and inflammatory disorders. Beyond her scientific and entrepreneurial pursuits, she is deeply passionate about mentoring and promoting diversity in STEM and has served as a mentor with San Diego Squared (SD2), The Basement at UC San Diego, and Scientella.