About
Kiara is an 20 year old scientist, innovator and speaker. At 16, Kiara won the grand prize at the Google Science Fair and the Community Impact Award with her solution to the worldwide drought.
Kiara has developed a unique superabsorbent polymer that holds hundreds of times its weight in water when stored in soil. It is biodegradable, inexpensive and free of harmful chemicals, unlike the manmade materials currently used. The polymer, made entirely from waste products, improves the environment, increases the chance for plants to sustain growth by 84% during a drought and can increase food security by 73% in disaster-struck areas.
Kiara has been featured by both The Times and the Guardian on their top 30 most influential teens lists, and invited by Forbes and TED to speak about her work. Kiara was recently named one of the United Nations Young Champions of the Earth and one of the fifty most inspiring women in technology.
She has published her first book with Penguin Random House in 2019. Using these platforms, Kiara actively promotes the importance of protecting our environment through innovation and getting young girls involved in this process. She is currently an undergraduate student at Stanford University.
Featured In
Click on the thumbnail to read more.
Press
Online Features
Click on the thumbnail to read more.
Broadcast Features
Click on the thumbnail to view the video.
Video Features
Click on the thumbnail to view the video.
Speaking
Hover over the thumbnails for more information on my talk.
United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2019
2021 Procter and Gamble’s North American Engineering Department
2017 Leading Women Summit in association with Africa Forbes Woman
2017 Keynote speaker at the Congress of Business and Economics
2017 Lead S.A. Change makers Conference
TEDxPretoria
2018 Breaking Down Borders African Youth Summit
2018 Standard Bank Data Science Graduates Conference
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
Gordon Institute of Business Science Leadership program
2018 South African National Science Week
Spar Ladies Day 2018
2018 Standard Bank Conversation Session
2018 Gauteng Women In Insurance
Invited as a Speaker at:
2018 PechaKucha Cape Town
TEDxVienna
TEDxCibeles
World Speech Day 2018
World Youth Forum 2017