Susan Thornton

Dr. Thornton founded Celerion in 2010 and has served as President and CEO since inception. She is a life sciences executive with a track record of building and managing businesses through technology transfer, product development and targeted marketing programs. Prior to forming Celerion, Dr. Thornton was an Executive in Residence with MDS Capital, a healthcare venture capital firm. She also held the position of President, Global Clinical Research and Central Labs for MDS. In this position, Dr. Thornton had responsibility for all facets of the business and guided the organization through major change following the acquisition of six regional companies.

Prior to MDS, Dr. Thornton was Director of Worldwide Business Development for GlaxoSmithKline, where she led teams in the negotiation and acquisition of new products for the pharmaceutical business. She also served as Project Manager, leading multidisciplinary project teams in the development of new biotechnology products. Dr. Thornton has substantial experience in international business development, deal sourcing and due diligence, integration and restructuring, and the achievement of sustained financial growth through the development of new business strategies and operating efficiencies. She earned her PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. Microbiology and B.S. Psychology from Pennsylvania State University.