Staff Spotlight: Sanaz Masserat

This series provides an opportunity to get up close and personal with the people who power The New York Academy of Sciences.

Tell us what you do for the Academy.

I coordinate logistics, contact vendors, negotiate contracts, and manage platforms to support internal and external events.

What has — so far — been your proudest accomplishment working for the Academy?

Bringing together different departments to work together to host an Open House event that marked the official opening of the Academy’s new headquarters at 115 Broadway. Marketing helped Meeting Ops with printing and laminating; Meeting Ops supported Development with logistics; and on the day of the event, our executives helped us hang paintings! It was a mix of enthusiastic minds and tireless hands, and that collaboration delivered a successful evening.

Why do you think science is so important to society?

It spreads knowledge and improves education.

Which scientist (or scientists) would you most like to have dinner with and why?

Sir Isaac Newton. He was very shy—so shy that he would not share his findings on gravity! If not for a bet with friends that changed everything from there on, where would we be? I would love to sit down with him and just get him to talk, talk, talk and I would just listen, listen, listen.

What hobbies or interests do you have outside of work?

I love taking care of myself by spending time at a spa.