Samantha McBirney (she/her) is an engineer at RAND with a background in biomedical applications, emerging technologies, and laser physics. At RAND, her work has focused on medical readiness, medical logistics, emerging technologies (and how they're used by near-peer adversaries), pharmaceutical supply chains, and international drug policy, with interests reaching into national security, biotechnology, and public health.
McBirney received her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Southern California and her B.S. in bioengineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently working on her MSc in Global Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. In addition to her role as an Engineer at RAND, she serves on the Pardee RAND Graduate School Faculty Committee on Curriculum and Appointment (FCCA).