Dr. Noubar Afeyan is an entrepreneur, biochemical engineer, and inventor with more than 100 patents and a career spanning over 70 life science and technology startups. He is the Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, and the Co-Founder and Chairman of Moderna, the pioneering mRNA biotechnology company. A long-time educator, he has taught technology entrepreneurship and innovation at Harvard Business School and MIT.

Dr. Afeyan serves on the MIT Corporation and the Board of Trustees of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has launched and supported numerous philanthropic initiatives including the IDeA Foundation, UWC Dilijan, FAST, and the Aurora Prize. His contributions have been recognized globally with awards such as the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Lebanon’s National Order of Merit, and the Carnegie Corporation "Great Immigrant" honor. A strong advocate for the role of immigrants in innovation, he remains deeply engaged in Armenia’s development.