Samantha Ancona Esselmann, Ph.D

Dr. Ancona Esselmann is a Senior Product Manager at 23andMe with a background in the molecular mechanisms of memory formation. After earning a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from UCSF, she transitioned from studying how the brain encodes the past to helping millions of people discover it. Since 2017, Sam has led the development of innovative ancestry and genealogy features driven by a passion for science storytelling. She is motivated by the challenge of transforming complex genetic data into a vivid, lived history that empowers members to connect with their heritage and their relatives.