Samantha Tucker-Samaras

Dr. Samantha Tucker-Samaras is a scientist and innovation leader serving as global vice president of science and technology for Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care R&D at Unilever. In this role, Tucker-Samaras heads science and technology for Unilever's Beauty & Wellbeing and Personal Care business groups, which together account for nearly €23 billion in turnover. She leads innovation and science for these businesses and oversees the science and technology behind brands such as Dove, Vaseline, and Axe. Her team's mission is to integrate external scientific and technological advancements into Unilever to address unmet consumer needs in the beauty and personal care sector.

Tucker-Samaras holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Dundee, a master's degree in biology from Seton Hall University, and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Purdue University. Before joining Unilever in her current capacity, she held leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson, including senior director and fellow for global baby innovation R&D and director of skincare innovation platforms. She also held roles at Merck and Unilever focused on skin biology research. Her expertise spans skin care, drug discovery, the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, and life sciences.

Tucker-Samaras is recognized for her work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, digital biology, and consumer science. She has advocated for the integration of scientific advances combining digital biology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and quantum computing to transform understanding and intervention in areas such as dandruff, acne, and aging. Under her leadership, Unilever has developed a microbiome data repository that contains three times the data of the Human Microbiome Project, expanding it through ongoing clinical studies. She has demonstrated how AI enables her team to test millions of formula combinations rapidly, create improved formulas for consumers, and identify alternative ingredients.

As a public speaker, Tucker-Samaras has presented at major industry events, including delivering a keynote at South by Southwest (SXSW) with a talk titled "Should I Think Quantum Computing in the Shower?" She has also been a featured speaker at Future Labs Live USA and recognized by the Constellation Research Artificial Intelligence 150 program. Her team's work includes developing and launching a new shampoo in under 100 days and creating the Lynx AI Body Spray using 46 terabytes of data, 6,000 ingredients, and 3.5 million potential scent combinations.

Tucker-Samaras is an advocate for ethical and inclusive science, promoting the use of AI to predict biological skin reactions to chemicals or ingredients and supporting science-based, non-animal product safety testing. Her team conducts large-scale studies to understand polycultural America, aiming to represent all skin and genetic types globally. With a career spanning pharmaceutical research, consumer goods innovation, and AI-driven discovery, Tucker-Samaras contributes scientific rigor and forward-thinking perspectives to discussions on the future of beauty, wellness, and technology.