Cellular Agriculture's Rising Star: A Conversation With Avery Parkinson

Every now and again a young person comes along whose intellect and wisdom seem to defy their age. Over the past year, we’ve had the privilege of working closely with one such individual. If you haven’t yet heard of her, you probably soon will.

In July 2020, Protein Report received a message through its website contact form:

“Hi! My name is Avery Parkinson, and I’m a 15-year-old student from Ottawa, Canada. Over the past nine months, I’ve been doing a lot of research and writing into cellular agriculture as an alternative protein source, and this summer, I am doing a research internship at Tufts University and New Harvest on insect tissue engineering as a possibility for cultured meat. … As a frequent reader of your content, I was wondering how I could get more involved in the amazing work you do!”

A year later, Avery is now the 16-year-old executive director of Cellular Agriculture Canada. She’s also the recipient of a 2021 Diana Award, founder of…