Robert Hariri

Dr. Hariri pioneered the use of stem cells to treat a range of life-threatening human diseases and continues today to make transformative contributions in the fields of immuno-oncology and cell therapeutics along with tissue engineering and functional regeneration. He is widely acknowledged for his discovery of pluripotent stem cells derived from the human placenta, and as a member of the team that discovered the physiological activities of tumor necrosis factor (TNF).

Dr. Hariri and his team of scientists were the first to obtain FDA approval to use its cryopreserved allogeneic, off-the-shelf Natural Killer (NK) cell therapy to treat COVID-19 infected adults. He holds over 170 issued and pending patents for discoveries including placenta-derived stem cells, which Nature recognized as one of the ten most important patent estates in the field. He has authored over 150 published chapters, articles, and abstracts.

Dr. Hariri was the recipient of the Pontifical Medal for Innovation awarded by Pope Francis in 2018 for his discovery of placental stem cells and advances in immunotherapy and regenerative medicine. Dr. Hariri twice received the Thomas Alva Edison Award for invention, in 2007 and 2011, and is a recipient of the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation’s Fred J. Epstein Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Hariri was recipient of the Genius of New Jersey Award in 2019 and over the years has received numerous other honors for his many contributions to the fields of biomedicine and aviation.

Dr. Hariri is an Adjunct Professor of Neurosurgery and member of the Board of Overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College and a former member of the board of visitors of the Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the Science & Technology Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is a member of the X PRIZE Foundation scientific advisory board for the Archon X PRIZE for Genomics. Dr. Hariri is a trustee and vice-chair of the Liberty Science Center. In 2010 he was appointed a Commissioner of Cancer Research by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Dr. Hariri completed his undergraduate training at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Columbia College. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University, where he was the recipient of both the Julian R. Rachele Award and the Doctoral Dissertation Award. He was a surgical resident and fellow in neurosurgery at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and served as an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Associate Research Professor of Surgery at Cornell and Co-director of the Aitken Laboratory in Neurosurgery.