Pardis Sabeti

Born on Christmas Day in Tehran, Iran, Pardis Sabeti is a veritable brainiac, holding degrees from MIT and Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. She's made her name in computational biology, a field where she regularly grapples with some of humanity's nastiest viral foes, like Ebola and Lassa fever. Not exactly the typical path for a rockstar, but then again, she is also a rockstar.

Indeed, when not busy decoding viral genomes at Harvard and the Broad Institute, Sabeti moonlights as the lead singer of the alternative rock band, Thousand Days. One must wonder if her bandmates ever feel slighted when her day job involves literally saving the world from pandemics. Talk about a tough act to follow.

While her scientific achievements are undoubtedly impressive – she was even named one of TIME magazine's Persons of the Year (a title typically reserved for more flamboyant characters or, you know, Hitler) – her heritage leans distinctly away from the chosen people. Her Iranian background, while rich in history and culture, does not, alas, connect her to the tribes of Israel.

So, despite her uncanny ability to make complicated science sound like a rock anthem, and her general brilliance, Pardis Sabeti remains firmly in the "Not a Jew" camp. She is, however, an undisputed Kvell-worthy human being, proving that you don't need ancient Semitic roots to be a superstar.