
Hi, I'm Avesta!
I'm a designer, animator, and biomedical communicator.
I use creative problem-solving and visual storytelling to create highly accurate, informative, and innovative designs for education, research, and healthcare.

I am a Canadian scientific designer and animator from rainy Vancouver, currently living in sunny Santa Cruz, California. I love taking complex science, simplifying it in a way that is understandable, and communicating it visually to a target audience. It's been said that "science is not finished until it’s communicated," and I couldn't agree more.
I currently work as a Multimedia Production Artist at 21GRAMS Rad Science, a part of Real Chemistry. You can find my previous work published in high-impact journals including Nature, Cell, and JAMA. I was professionally trained at the Biomedical Communications (MScBMC) program at the University of Toronto – one of four accredited programs in North America that teaches medical illustration. Previously, I earned my BSc (Hons) in Life Sciences at Queen's University with a minor in World Language Studies.
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When I'm not knee-deep in SciArt, you can find me rock-climbing, abstract-painting, attempting astrophotography, or attending too many concerts. My newest hobby is creating science education visuals over at LumiSci on Instagram!
Featured Work
Media & Press
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NBC - 5 female trailblazers leading the fight for gender equity
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BBC - International Women's Day: Illustrating the Covid-19 pandemic
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Learn Medical Art - An interview with medical illustrator, Avesta Rastan
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GenW - Avesta Rastan on combining Art and Science in Biomedical Communications
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University of Toronto - BMC graduate answers the call to fight COVID-19
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Visual Capitalist - Visualizing what COVID-19 does to your body
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World Economic Forum - This visualisation shows what COVID-19 does to your body
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American Association of Ophthalmology - Pneumatic Retinopexy Video Series
Interviews & Speaking
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BMCAA UnCon 2020: Perspectives on Freelancing as a Medical Illustrator
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Effective Academic Poster Design | University of Toronto (2020)
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Intro to Science Visualization using Adobe Illustrator | University of Toronto (2019)
Select Recognition
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Award of Merit - Association of Medical Illustrators (2020)
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Top Talent - Adobe Design Achievement Awards (2019)
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Award of Merit - Association of Medical Illustrators (2019)
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Stephen Gilbert Award for excellence in biomedical visualization - University of Toronto, Biomedical Communications Program (2018)
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Ontario Graduate Scholarship for academic achievement and research potential - University of Toronto (2018)