Melissa Starovasnik

Dr. Starovasnik is an accomplished scientific leader and executive in the fields of protein sciences, including protein/antibody therapeutics and small molecule drug discovery. She spent 28 years at Genentech in roles of increasing responsibility and was an integral member of the research leadership team. As Vice President, Protein Sciences, and head of large-molecule drug discovery from 2011-2017, she was responsible for overseeing the discovery and optimization of more than 20 protein therapeutic candidates. Prior to that, as Vice President, Research Operations and Structural Biology, she coordinated all operational activities for the more than 1300-member Genentech research organization, while also leading the Structural Biology department. Currently, Dr. Starovasnik serves on the Board of Directors for Twist Bioscience and the Scientific Advisory Boards for multiple therapeutics companies. She earned a B.S. in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Washington and has co-authored more than 70 scientific publications and patent applications.