Sue Stokes

Sue Stokes has a diverse work experience spanning several companies and roles. Sue is currently serving as the Vice President and Program Lead at Akouos, a gene therapy company focused on hearing disorders. In this role, they lead a cross-functional program team responsible for defining and executing the program strategy and development plan.

Prior to joining Akouos, Sue worked at Spero Therapeutics as a Senior Director and Program Lead. Sue led a cross-functional product team overseeing the development of an antibacterial candidate drug from discovery through regulatory approval and commercialization.

Before Spero Therapeutics, Sue held multiple roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Sue served as the Director of the Project Management Office in the Global Information Services division, where they drove the evaluation and definition of next-generation tools for collaboration. Sue also served as the Director of Innovation and External Research, leading company-wide innovation tournaments and strategic initiatives. Earlier in their career at Vertex, they were an Associate Director and Innovation Leader, organizing innovation tournaments and creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

Sue began their career at AstraZeneca, where they held various roles in competitive intelligence, infection chemistry, and scientific research. Sue supervised chemists and contributed to drug development in the infection innovative medicines unit.

Prior to their industry experience, Sue worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Boston College.

Overall, Sue Stokes has significant experience in program leadership, innovation management, and drug development within the biopharmaceutical industry.

Sue Stokes completed their Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Chemistry from Tufts University from 1990 to 1994. Sue then pursued their Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where they studied from 1994 to 1999. After their Ph.D., Sue completed a Postdoc at Boston College, specializing in Organic Chemistry, from 1999 to 2001.