Dana T. Aftab

Dana T. Aftab, Ph.D., is Executive Vice President, Discovery and Translational Research and Chief Scientific Officer at Exelixis. Dr. Aftab joined the company in 1998, starting in Exelixis’ Drug Discovery organization, where he led teams that drove the discovery and development of the company’s approved medicines, including cabozantinib. In 2007, he moved into the company’s clinical development organization, where he led the effort to streamline Exelixis’ processes for transitioning drug discovery programs into clinical development, serving as Senior Vice President, Translational Research from 2009 to 2016. Most recently, from February 2016 to December 2022, Dr. Aftab served as the company’s Executive Vice President, Business Operations, during which time he oversaw the company’s corporate site development and campus operations, including the opening of new laboratory buildings at Exelixis’ Alameda campus and the ongoing buildout of the company’s Exelixis East footprint in the Greater Philadelphia area. Prior to joining Exelixis, Dr. Aftab held senior scientist positions at several biotech start-ups. Dr. Aftab holds B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in pharmacology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and Yale University, respectively, and did postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley in the field of oncogene signaling.