Isha Datar

Isha Datar (born January 6, 1988) is the executive director of New Harvest, known for her work in cellular agriculture, the production of agricultural products from cell cultures.

Early life and education Datar was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Datar received her MBiotech from the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2013.

Career In 2009, Datar published "Possibilities for an in-vitro meat production system" in Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, which detailed the progress of cellular agriculture. The paper was sent to Jason Matheny – founder and then-director of New Harvest – who forwarded the paper to those who were mentioned in it. In 2013, Datar became the chief executive officer at New Harvest. and Clara Foods (now The EVERY Company). In 2021, Robert Downey Jr. funded Datar's work through his 'fast grants' project. Datar has been profiled in media venues including USA Today, the magazine Toronto Life, the Calgary Herald. She has spoken with NPR's Science Friday, The New Republic, Food & Wine magazine, and the National Observer.

Awards and honors Canadian Business spotlighted her work as a 2016 Change Agent. In 2019, Datar was named one of 25 Food and Agriculture Leaders to Watch by FoodTank.com.

Maclean's listed Isha Datar in its "The Power List: Top 10 Food Titans", where she is credited with coining the term cellular agriculture.