# Niamh B. O'Hara

> Niamh B. O'Hara is a New York-based evolutionary biologist and the co-founder and CEO of Biotia, founded through Cornell Tech's Runway program in 2016. Her education includes NYU, Stony Brook University, Fordham University, and Cornell Tech. She also holds a research assistant professor appointment at SUNY Downstate.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Biotia
- **Organizations:** Biotia, SUNY Downstate, Cornell Tech, Fordham University
- **Education:** BA, New York University, PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Stony Brook University, Postdoctoral fellowship in Bioinformatics, Fordham University, Postdoctoral fellowship; Runway startup program, Cornell Tech
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Cornell Tech spinout Biotia., TEDMED Hive Innovator, 2020., Co-authored peer-reviewed research in evolutionary biology and genomics.

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Completed a BA at NYU.
- **2014** — Completed her doctorate at Stony Brook.
- **2015** — Completed a Fordham postdoc and began Cornell Tech Runway training.
- **2016** — Co-founded Biotia with Christopher Mason.
- **2020** — Biotia reported a $2.4 million seed round; selected as a TEDMED Hive Innovator.
- **2022** — Biotia raised an $8 million Series A.
- **2023** — Biotia selected for McKinsey InNYC accelerator.
- **2025** — Appeared on Venture Everywhere episode 94.
- **2026** — Biotia announced $9 million financing on October 1.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Cornell Tech spinout Biotia.
- TEDMED Hive Innovator, 2020.
- Co-authored peer-reviewed research in evolutionary biology and genomics.
- Biotia was selected for the 2023 McKinsey InNYC accelerator.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Biotia announced $9 million financing and a board expansion on October 1.
- **2025-12** — Red Bear Ventures lists Biotia as an active Series A+ portfolio investment dated December 2025.
- **2025-10** — Discussed her transition from research to startup leadership on Venture Everywhere episode 94.

## Links

- Website: https://biotia.io/authors/niamh-ohara
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niamh-b-o-hara

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/niamh-b-ohara
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08