Speakers

Dr Stasa Stankovic is a Cambridge and Oxford-trained scientist turned biotech entrepreneur, recognised as a global leader redefining women’s health and longevity. Backed by leading organisations, such as Novo Nordisk Foundation, BII and Microsoft, Stasa is a Co-Founder and CEO of OvartiX, a next-generation drug discovery company leveraging human multi-omics and engineered ovarian disease models to discover and develop breakthrough therapies for menopause, PCOS and infertility.

Before founding OvartiX, Dr Stankovic completed an MPhil and PhD in Reproductive Medicine at the University of Cambridge, where her research discovered genes that determine female fertility and age at menopause, and showed one of the first proofs that delaying menopause and extending reproductive longevity is possible - work that is now forming the scientific foundation of her company. She also advises governments and global biopharma: as a strategy consultant at AstraZeneca, she helped shape the company’s strategy for applying human omics, AI, and machine learning in drug discovery. She additionally supports Cercle AI, an emerging AI women’s health technology startup.

Dr Stankovic has been widely recognised for her impact on science and innovation. She is a McKinsey & Company Next Generation Women Leader, winner of the International Menopause Society’s Robert Greenblatt Award for the top investigator under 40, named one of the Top 10 early-career UK scientists in biomedical research by the UK Government’s STEM for Britain, included in Barclays’ Top 100 Women in Tech, and selected as one of the Top 200 Trailblazing Women in FemTech by Covington and Women of Wearables. Forbes has identified her as one of just 11 scientists globally shaping the future of menopause and reproductive health innovation.

As a founder, scientist, speaker and strategic advisor, Dr Stankovic sits at the intersection of biotech, women's health, longevity and AI - championing a future in which female biology is finally prioritised in medicine and drug discovery.