Dr. Anna Blakney promoted to Associate Professor

We are delighted to share that Dr. Anna Blakney (MSL, School of Biomedical Engineering) has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure, effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Blakney is an internationally recognized leader in RNA vaccine and drug delivery systems. She first joined the MSL as an Assistant Professor in 2021, after completing her PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Washington and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Imperial College London.

The MSL community came together to celebrate Dr. Blakney’s promotion and tenure over coffee and cake. Pictured, from left to right, are MSL faculty members Dr. Anna Blakney, Dr. Freda Miller, Dr. Martin Hirst, and Dr. Terry Snutch.

Dr. Blakney currently leads a team of over 20 undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees. The Blakney lab is focused on developing gene therapies that can help prevent, treat, or cure various diseases. In particular they are focused on self-amplifying RNA and how this technology can be effectively engineered to improve human health.

Dr. Blakney is also heavily involved with Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub. She is a co-lead on the hub’s Advanced RNA LNP Vaccines Engineered with Next-Generation designs to Enhance pandemic Readiness (AVENGER) program, a national initiative focused on RNA vaccine engineering for pandemic preparedness and personalized cancer vaccination. She is also a team member for both their Pathogen Response Optimization by GENeratIng ThErapeutics Rationally (PROGENITER) project and the development of their Advanced Therapeutics Manufacturing Facility.

“The part I’ve enjoyed most in my time at UBC so far is the people,” shares Dr. Blakney. “I’m grateful to be surrounded by lab members, colleagues, and collaborators that I look forward to working with every day – it’s a luxury!”

Outside of her research, Dr. Blakney is a passionate science communicator, creating over 300 educational TikTok videos that talk about RNA vaccines and related topics to combat misinformation and make these topics accessible to the general public.

This promotion reflects Dr. Blakney’s outstanding research, trainee mentorship, and service to the UBC community.

“This promotion and tenure provides an opportunity for me to think critically about big challenges and exciting research directions, and how to continue to steer the ship in an impactful direction,” reflects Dr. Blakney.

Our sincerest congratulations to Dr. Blakney on this exciting career milestone, we look forward to seeing the continued impact of her work, collaborations and outreach in the future.