In Episode 21 of the Disruptors for Good podcast I speak with Maya Ajmera, the CEO of Society for Science & the Public on solving global problems through investing in world class research, big data, media, and the next generation of scientists.

Maya Ajmera has had an incredible life so far.

She is currently the President and CEO of Society for Science & the Public (SSP) and Publisher of its award-winning magazine Science News.

Founded in 1921, SSP works to promote the understanding and appreciation of science, and the vital role it plays in human advancement.

It is best known for its world-class science competitions including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, International Science and Engineering Fair, and Broadcom MASTERS.

In 1993, Maya founded The Global Fund for Children (GFC), a non-profit organization that invests in innovative, community-based organizations working with some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth.

Under Maya’s 18 years of leadership, GFC grew from a seedling vision into one of the largest networks of grassroots organizations working on behalf of vulnerable children. To date, GFC has awarded nearly $40 million to over 600 grassroots organizations in 80 countries, touching the lives of nearly 10 million children.

From 2011-2014, Maya was a Visiting Scholar and Professorial Lecturer at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at The Johns Hopkins University.

While at SAIS she wrote a foreign policy book on the global plight of children and youth entitled Invisible Children: Reimagining International Development at the Grassroots (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). She continues to serve as an adjunct on the faculty of the International Development Program and teaches the course “Social Innovations in International Development for Children and Youth.”

In 2013-2014, Maya served as the inaugural Social Entrepreneur in Residence for Duke University and Visiting Professor for the Practice of Public Policy at The Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke.

Maya is also an award-winning children’s book author of over 20 titles, including Every Breath We Take, Children from Australia to Zimbabwe, Faith, and To Be a Kid, with nearly 5 million readers worldwide.

Maya holds an AB from Bryn Mawr College and a MPP from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

Maya is Co-Chair of the board of Echoing Green, a trustee of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and a board member of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND).

She serves on numerous advisory boards, including the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University, Washington Area Women’s Foundation, American India Foundation, The Golden Baobab Prize, and many others.

In 2008, she served as a member of the Innovation and Civil Society subgroup of the Obama presidential transition’s Technology, Innovation and Government Reform Policy Working Group.

Subscribe to the Disrupters for Good podcast.

Interview Transcript

Grant: What’s up, everybody? This is Grant with Causeartist. Today, I’m excited to chat with an incredible woman, Maya Ajmera, who has lived an extraordinary life and continues to do amazing things.

Maya is currently the President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public, an organization that publishes Science News, a magazine that’s been around since 1921. The organization promotes and empowers the understanding and appreciation of science, playing a vital role in advancing human knowledge globally.

Maya’s first major success was founding the Global Fund for Children in 1993, a nonprofit that invests in community-based organizations working with some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth, particularly in India.

She served as the CEO of the organization for 18 years, growing it from a vision to one of the largest networks working on behalf of vulnerable children worldwide. The Global Fund for Children has awarded nearly $40 million to over 600 grassroots organizations in 80 countries, impacting the lives of nearly 10 million children.

Maya is also an accomplished children’s book author, has served on numerous boards, and held prestigious academic positions. Today, we’ll dive into her journey, her impact, and how she continues to inspire individuals around the world.

03:08

Grant: I’d love to start with your experience as a Rotary Fellow in 1989-1990. This seems to have been a significant catalyst in your journey. Can you share how that fellowship influenced you?

Maya: Absolutely. I was fortunate to attend Bryn Mawr College, where I majored in neuroscience. I was set on pursuing an MD-PhD and becoming a research scientist. However, receiving the Rotary International Graduate Fellowship was a life-changing experience.

The fellowship provided funds to study and travel anywhere in the world for a year. My professors encouraged me to travel and truly understand people and their aspirations. So, I traveled from Thailand to Pakistan for a year, using St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai as my base.

During this time, I had a moment of obligation at a train station in Bhubaneshwar, India. I saw 50 kids sitting in a circle learning to read with a teacher using flashcards. These children lived on the train platform—working, playing, eating, begging, and sleeping—but they didn’t go to school.

The teacher had decided to bring the school to the children. It was then that I realized the impact of small, targeted investments, like $500 a year to educate 50 kids, could have a massive impact. This moment sparked the idea for the Global Fund for Children.

06:10

Grant: The Global Fund for Children has been one of your great victories. What has been the most significant transformation you’ve witnessed through this organization over the last few decades?

Maya: Founding and leading the Global Fund for Children for 18 years was an incredible journey. The key lesson we learned is the importance of investing in extraordinary grassroots leaders and supporting their visions for change. A great example is Sakina Yacoobi, who founded the Afghan Institute of Learning during the Taliban era when educating girls was illegal.

We gave them their first $5,000 grant to educate girls in secret, and today, the organization is the largest private NGO in Afghanistan, serving over 400,000 women and children with education and healthcare. It’s a testament to the power of investing in grassroots initiatives.

09:50

Grant: You mentioned educating girls in secret during the Taliban era. Can you give us more insight into what that entailed?

Maya: During the 1990s, under the Taliban, educating girls was illegal, and those caught could be stoned to death. Secret homeschools were organized where mothers and teachers taught girls in small groups inside their homes.

The girls would come and go at different times to avoid attracting attention. It was groundbreaking human rights work, and the risks were incredibly high. Yet, these efforts laid the foundation for what the Afghan Institute of Learning is today.

14:05

Grant: Science seems to have been a passion of yours since childhood. How did you incorporate that passion into your work with the Global Fund for Children?

Maya: Science has always been a significant part of my life. I started doing research in seventh grade and became a science fair enthusiast. I attended the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, where I worked on recombinant DNA research.

My scientific training deeply influenced how I approached founding the Global Fund for Children. The focus on data integrity, collaboration, and learning from mistakes were principles I carried into the nonprofit world.

At the Global Fund for Children, we also funded innovative grassroots organizations working on STEM education, like the Agastya International Foundation, which started the first mobile science lab in rural India.

Today, they have hundreds of these labs, and they host science fairs across the country, inspiring a new generation of scientists.

16:08

Grant: Now that you’re leading the Society for Science & the Public and publishing Science News, how do you see technology and innovation enhancing scientific efforts today?

Maya: The advent of big data has transformed science, allowing for incredible modeling and analysis in fields ranging from space exploration to community health. A great example is Raj Chetty, who used big data from the IRS to study economic mobility and inventiveness in the United States.

His work highlights how living in certain neighborhoods can impact opportunities for children. This type of research was unimaginable 15 years ago.

Our young scientists, especially those competing in our world-class competitions like the Regeneron Science Talent Search and the International Science and Engineering Fair, are also leveraging big data in ways we couldn’t have dreamed of before.

18:22

Grant: What are some of the big challenges students are tackling in these competitions? Is climate change a major focus?

Maya: Climate change is definitely a major focus, along with curing diseases and addressing societal challenges. What’s fascinating is how students take these big issues and narrow them down to specific research projects.

For instance, instead of a broad project on climate change, a student might work on improving solar cells or studying a specific gene related to cancer. These young innovators are finding answers to parts of larger questions, contributing to the broader scientific conversation.

We take great pride in our alumni, many of whom have become world-class scientists. For example, Feng Zhang, one of the co-inventors of CRISPR-Cas9, competed in two of our competitions. Our alumni are not only scientists but also entrepreneurs, educators, and leaders who are making a significant impact.

22:19

Grant: You mentioned the two young women from rural Kenya who competed in your competition. How do students from such remote areas find out about these opportunities and enter them?

Maya: We’ve built one of the most powerful global STEM networks in the world, with affiliated science fairs in 80 countries. Teachers, industry leaders, and ministries of education in these countries help us reach students, ensuring they have the opportunity to participate in project-based research and compete on a global stage.

The teacher of the two young women from Kenya, Peter Tabichi, is a remarkable example. He built a school focused on project-based learning and recently won the $1 million Global Teacher Prize for his incredible work. His students are proof that talent and innovation can come from anywhere, regardless of resources.

26:16

Grant: We’ve discussed some impressive alumni, like Feng Zhang. How do you see the relationship between science and business evolving, especially with scientists starting their own companies?

Maya: There’s definitely a growing trend of scientists becoming entrepreneurs. Feng Zhang, for instance, co-founded several companies, including Editas Medicine and Sherlock Biosciences. We also have alumni like George Yancopoulos and Leonard Schleifer, who co-founded Regeneron.

Many of our young scientists are taking their research and spinning it into businesses. For example, a young woman named Anna-Katrina Shedletsky founded Instrumental, a company that automates manufacturing, after working at Apple.

Another alum, Rehan Jalali, founded Counsyl, a genetic testing company that was recently acquired. These scientists are not only solving complex problems but also creating businesses that drive innovation.

30:46

Grant: You’ve had an impressive career, including being the inaugural Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Duke University. What did that experience teach you about the next generation of social entrepreneurs?

Maya: Being the inaugural Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Duke was a transformative experience. One of the most exciting things I’ve observed is that young people today are focused on solving problems rather than just getting a job. They’re thinking about what issues they want to tackle in the world and choosing their courses accordingly.

It’s a very different mindset from previous generations. I also believe we need to do a better job of building scientific literacy in our society. As publisher of Science News, I’m passionate about making evidence-based science journalism accessible to everyone. Our work is more important than ever in combating misinformation and promoting scientific understanding.

37:40

Grant: With your extensive experience in science and education, have you considered creating an incubator for some of the young talent you work with, perhaps similar to what Bloomberg Beta does for startups?

Maya: That’s a great idea. We indeed have one of the most powerful closed ecosystems of talent in the world. We know how to find the best young minds, and we track them as they grow. Many of them are already going to startup incubators like Y Combinator. Our alumni are leading some of the most innovative companies

in the world, and it’s something we’re actively thinking about.

39:50

Grant: You’ve mentioned the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) a few times. Can you tell us more about it?

Maya: The International Science and Engineering Fair is the largest pre-collegiate STEM competition in the world. Each year, nearly 30 million students compete in science fairs, and the best of the best rise through our affiliated fair system to compete at ISEF.

This past May, 1,842 students from 80 countries competed for over $5 million in awards. These young scientists are working on groundbreaking research in fields like robotics, computational biology, and energy. It’s an incredible event that showcases the talent pipeline for the future.

44:10

Grant: You’ve done so much in your life, especially in empowering young women. What advice would you give to young women who want to follow their passion and make a difference?

Maya: My advice is to believe in yourself, push the boundaries, and listen to your inner voice. Surround yourself with people who challenge you in a positive way, and avoid those who drain your passion. It’s crucial to stay creative and to have a balance in life that keeps you sane.

Creativity isn’t just about the arts—it’s about finding innovative solutions and maintaining your passion for what you do. I also encourage young women to disrupt industries that need change, especially male-dominated ones. It’s not always easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding.

46:37

Grant: Thank you so much, Maya, for sharing your incredible journey and insights. Your work continues to inspire me and many others. I look forward to seeing you at the International Science and Engineering Fair next year!

Maya: Thank you, Grant. It’s been a pleasure talking with you. I’m excited to see you at ISEF next year!