Melissa Starovasnik

Melissa Starovasnik, Ph.D., is an accomplished scientific leader and 28-year Genentech veteran who led their large-molecule drug discovery organization as VP, Protein Sciences from 2011-2017 while overseeing the discovery and optimization of more than 20 protein therapeutic candidates. Prior to that, she headed operations for the >1300-member research organization as VP, Research Operations & Structural Biology. Most recently, she served as Senior Scientific Advisor, Research, which included leading efforts to advance diversity and inclusion within the organization. Dr. Starovasnik received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in biochemistry, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Genentech in protein NMR spectroscopy, and has co-authored more than 70 scientific publications and patent applications.