Richard A. Leach

Dr. Leach is an executive leader, scientist, and entrepreneur. Through his career, he has acquired domain expertise in human genomics, big data, A.I., reproductive medicine, aerospace, manufacturing, corporate strategy, and business development. Demonstrating the ability to lead from concept through delivery, Dr. Leach has chaperoned fundamental technologies with and without established applications to successful business endpoints by guiding company architecture, market development and commercialization. Some of his previous roles include Chief Commercial Officer at WuXi NextCode Genomics, Vice President at Complete Genomics, Vice President at deCODE Genetics, and Chief Science Officer and Founder at Teneo Sciences. While at those companies, Dr. Leach created business strategies and successfully led the implementation of genetic analysis technologies for research and clinical diagnostic applications in multiple geopolitical environments. With significant involvement in population-specific and nation-scale discovery biology programs, he has led successful business opportunities in 28 countries around the world. In addition to this, he has gained high-level governance experience during service on several Boards of Directors. Today, Dr. Leach is the Chief Strategy Officer for the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, spearheading Low Earth Orbit commercialization by developing a portfolio of basic and applied research programs in public-private partnerships.

Dr. Leach holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Hillsdale College, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Ohio University, was a Fellow in the Division of Experimental Therapeutics at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research for the US Department of Defense and was a Visiting Fellow at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.