Kristina Rinker

Professor of Biomedical Engineering University of Calgary; Chief Scientific Officer Syantra Inc.

Dr. Kristina Rinker is a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Calgary and co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Syantra Inc., a precision medicine company with a molecular diagnostics platform and blood test for breast cancer screening. She also has an appointment in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology in the Cumming School of Medicine.

In November 2021, Syantra was the recipient of the ‘One to Watch’ award selected by the A100 and presented by Start Alberta.

Dr. Rinker is also co-founder and on the Board of Directors of BiohubX, which is a not-for-profit organization launched in 2021 with funding from PrairiesCan for supporting the space and technical support needs of the growing life science industry in Calgary and Western Canada.

Dr. Rinker’s research focuses on how fluid flow affects cell and nanoparticle behavior with relevance to cardiovascular disease and cancer. She is actively involved in technology development and commercialization through university spin‐off companies and industrial and governmental partnerships in the areas of cardiovascular and cancer detection and treatment.

Dr. Rinker received a BSc in chemical engineering from University of Alabama and a PhD in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University.