Working at the forefront of AI

Petrina Kamya

Source: Courtesy Insilico Medicine

Petrina Kamya’s curiosity has led her across sectors to become a leader in drug discovery

Petrina Kamya certainly likes a challenge. During her PhD at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, she taught herself quantum theory in order to study RNA’s structure. She is now head of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms and president of Insilico Medicine in Canada, bringing together a love of theoretical science and drug discovery.

She remembers being a ‘curious child’ who loved to learn. At one time she considered following in her father’s footsteps as an architect but soon realised that she ‘wasn’t really a designer’.

After obtaining a degree in biochemistry at Concordia, she opted for a PhD in theoretical chemistry, partly because she had a history of being clumsy in the lab, forever knocking things over with her sleeves.