CRN Members, vote via your personal ballot received via email. Contact Gretchen Powers with questions.
“Being selected as a finalist is deeply meaningful to me, as it represents not just validation of our work at Nuritas, but acknowledgement from the industry of our belief that the intersection of artificial intelligence and nature can transform human health. We're using AI to unlock the potential of natural ingredients and discover cell signaling peptides that can significantly improve the lives of billions. Thank you to CRN for this incredible recognition.”
BIO: Dr. Nora Khaldi, is a mathematician with a Ph.D. in Molecular Evolution and Bioinformatics. Nora’s research has focused primarily on protein evolution and comparative genomics, and her publications have been placed in a library of the top 2% of published articles in the fields of biology and medicine. Today, she's the Founder and CEO of Nuritas, a company on a mission to improve billions of lives by transforming the discovery of bioactive ingredients using AI, deep learning, and genomics to unlock peptides from natural sources like plants and food.
FUN FACTS:
- What is your favorite supplement? I have many favorites, it's hard to choose one! But the 3 that come to mind right now are Vitamin Shoppe's GLP-1 Support Protein Powder, Make Wellness' FIT, and Applied Nutrition's Performance Creatine + Peptide. All 3 have something in common - they've formulated using PeptiStrong, a Nuritas plant peptide for muscle health, and they've done it in thoughtful ways to serve different consumers. Vitamin Shoppe's protein powder helps me maintain lean muscle mass, Make Wellness' FIT enables me to address metabolic health using just 1 solution, and AN's Creatine + Peptide gives me the combined performance benefits of two synergistic ingredients that work even better together.
- What is your ‘happy place’? Swimming or snorkeling in the sea close to rock formations.
- What is your special talent that may surprise people? Sculpting, drawing, painting.
NOMINATION SUBMISSION: Dr. Nora Khaldi exemplifies transformational leadership across all three award criteria. As founder and CEO of Nuritas, she has redefined the intersection of artificial intelligence and nutritional science, creating the world's first AI-powered platform to discover bioactive peptides from natural sources and revolutionizing traditional discovery timelines that span decades. As a result, Nuritas has launched 6 plant peptide ingredients backed by 16 human clinical studies.
Her leadership extends beyond corporate success to meaningful mentorship and industry elevation. Khaldi has won recognition as "woman of the decade" for business and leadership and actively champions women in STEM through speaking engagements and advocacy. Recently, she was on the panel of Women in Nutraceuticals’ 1st Leadership Conference.
Dr. Khaldi's innovation credentials are exceptional. She was the first scientist to demonstrate gene transfer between multicellular species, fundamentally challenging established phylogenetic methods. Her publications have been placed in a library of the top 2% of published articles in the fields of biology and medicine. Today, she’s led Nuritas to have created the world’s largest natural food peptide library, characterizing over 9 million plant peptides impacting human health.
Her advocacy impact spans policy and public awareness. Her innovative approach has attracted partnerships with giants like Nestlé, showing how she bridges cutting-edge science and practical applications. She’s been featured by Forbes and Wired, and her work has attracted investment from visionaries including U2's Bono and Marc Benioff, validating her mission to impact billions of lives with health solutions derived from the natural world. Dr. Khaldi represents the future of science-driven entrepreneurship, consistently breaking barriers while elevating others in the process.
Learn more about this honor in CRN's April 2025 press release, “CRN and Radicle Science Announce 2025 Annette Dickinson Trailblazer Award.”
