Manisha Kapasiawala

Manisha Kapasiawala

Manisha Kapasiawala, PhD, is a Program Associate with CCST. She is currently working with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to develop and deliver the Emerging Technologies State Staff Academy, a professional development series on AI, quantum, and fusion technologies for leaders across California’s Executive Branch. She is also helping GO-Biz onboard their first Science Advisor.

Prior to joining CCST, Manisha served as a CCST Science & Technology Policy Fellow. Placed with the California Department of Finance (DOF), Manisha helped to advance statewide fish and wildlife priorities through the state’s budget process. While at the DOF, Manisha worked closely with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) to advance their budget proposals and provide guidance on budget administration. She also testified at budget hearings to defend the Administration’s proposed expenditures and analyzed the fiscal and policy impacts of proposed regulations and Legislative bills, among various other responsibilities.

Manisha received her PhD in Bioengineering from Caltech, where her dissertation research investigated how to engineer living cells from scratch. Manisha completed her BSE in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University.