Hannu Rajaniemi PhD

Hannu Rajaniemi is a co-founder and CEO of HelixNano, a venture- and Y Combinator-backed synthetic biology startup developing evolution-resistant mRNA vaccines for cancer, COVID-19, and other applications. Hannu studied mathematics and theoretical physics at the University of Oulu and Cambridge and holds a Ph.D. in string theory from the University of Edinburgh. He also co-founded a mathematics consultancy whose clients included the UK Ministry of Defence and the European Space Agency.

Hannu is the author of four novels including The Quantum Thief (winner of the 2012 Tahtivaeltaja Award for the best science fiction novel published in Finland and translated into more than 20 languages). His most recent book is Summerland, an alternate history spy thriller in a world where the afterlife is real. His short fiction has been featured in Slate, MIT Technology Review, and the New York Times.