Gloria Benedikt was born in Austria and trained at the Vienna State Opera Ballet School and English National Ballet School. From 2002 she has worked as a dancer and choreographer across Europe and the USA. Since graduating from Harvard University in 2013, she focuses on creating artistically innovative, impact driven arts projects that link the humanities and sciences to solve global challenges. In 2015 she became the first Research Associate for Science and Arts at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), since 2018 she leads the Science and Art Project. She explores how artistic and scientific processes can be connected to tackle global challenges more effectively and support transformations to sustainability. Recent performance and speaking engagements include the Kennedy Center, Washington DC; Carnegie Hall, the European Culture Forum, Brussels; the European Forum Alpbach; the Bridging Europe Festival, Budapest; the European Commission’s Joint Research Center, Ispra; the Forum on European Culture, Amsterdam; the Stockholm Act, ESOF Toulouse, the International Conference on Sustainable Development, New York, the UNESCO Forum, Moscow, and the Sustainable Brands Conference, Detroit. www.gloriabenedikt.com