Samantha McBirney (she/her) is an engineer at RAND and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. With a background in biomedical applications and laser physics, her work at RAND has focused on emerging technologies, industrial base operations and policy, and medical readiness and logistics, with interests reaching into national security, biotechnology, and public health.
McBirney received her B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley; her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California; and her MSc in Global Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. In addition to her role as an engineer, she co-leads the allyship initiatives within the BELIEVE (Black Employees Leading in Inclusion, Equity, Vision, and Education) Employee Resource Group, and the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and others) ERG. She also serves on the Pardee RAND Graduate School Faculty Committee on Curriculum and Appointment (FCCA).
Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, University of Southern Calif; M.S. in biomedical engineering, University of Southern Calif; B.S. in bioengineering, UC Berkeley; MSc in global health policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
