Ashley Abel, Ph.D.Founder

United States - Boston, Massachusetts

CEO & co-founder of Metri Bio, pioneering first-in-class therapeutics for endometrial diseases, starting with endometriosis. Forbes 30 Under 30 - Healthcare, 2026.

I earned my Ph.D. in Genetics at Yale University in May 2025, graduating with distinction and receiving the prestigious Ruth L. Kirchenstein NRSA F31 doctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). In Prof. Berna Sozen's lab at Yale School of Medicine, I engineered and applied 3D stem cell model systems to study early human development and pregnancy loss, advancing our understanding of female reproductive health.

At Yale, I founded the Women in Biotech program in 2023 and led multiple university-wide programs as president of two student organizations, driving initiatives that spanned STEM mentorship, biotech career development, and international case competitions. Beyond Yale, I consulted for women’s health startup Gameto and the biopharma strategy firm Naveos, while gaining entrepreneurship experience at Fifty Years VC’s Fifty 50 program and Pillar VC’s Frequency Bio.

Prior to Yale, I earned a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology as an Arrupe Scholar at Seattle University. I conducted human stem cell and microfluidics research at the University of Washington under Drs. Charles (Chuck) Murry and Ying Zheng, and founded and directed a STEM program for unhoused women and youth. After completing my undergraduate degree, I gained further research training in human pluripotent stem cell modeling and cardiac tissue engineering as a scientist at Brown University under Dr. Kareen Coulombe.CEO & co-founder of Metri Bio, pioneering first-in-class therapeutics for endometrial diseases, starting with endometriosis. Forbes 30 Under 30 - Healthcare, 2026. I earned my Ph.D. in Genetics at Yale University in May 2025, graduating with distinction and receiving the prestigious Ruth L. Kirchenstein NRSA F31 doctoral fellowship from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). In Prof. Berna Sozen's lab at Yale School of Medicine, I engineered and applied 3D stem cell model systems to study early human development and pregnancy loss, advancing our understanding of female reproductive health. At Yale, I founded the Women in Biotech program in 2023 and led multiple university-wide programs as president of two student organizations, driving initiatives that spanned STEM mentorship, biotech career development, and international case competitions. Beyond Yale, I consulted for women’s health startup Gameto and the biopharma strategy firm Naveos, while gaining entrepreneurship experience at Fifty Years VC’s Fifty 50 program and Pillar VC’s Frequency Bio. Prior to Yale, I earned a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology as an Arrupe Scholar at Seattle University. I conducted human stem cell and microfluidics research at the University of Washington under Drs. Charles (Chuck) Murry and Ying Zheng, and founded and directed a STEM program for unhoused women and youth. After completing my undergraduate degree, I gained further research training in human pluripotent stem cell modeling and cardiac tissue engineering as a scientist at Brown University under Dr. Kareen Coulombe.