Dirk Sauer

Dirk is an expert in global pharmaceutical development with more than 30 years of experience in ophthalmology and neuroscience. He successfully led numerous projects and teams during all phases of the drug development process. Prior to retiring from Novartis in 2021, Dirk led the company’s Ophthalmology Development Unit for more than nine years, and during that time built a development portfolio across back and front of the eye indications including small molecules, biologics, gene therapies and digital therapeutics.

Dirk joined Ciba-Geigy in 1989 as a postdoctoral fellow in the Neuroscience Preclinical Research Department. He subsequently held various positions of increasing responsibilities within preclinical, clinical research and project management working on acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, head trauma, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and ALS at Ciba-Geigy and Novartis. In 2005, Dirk joined the Ophthalmology Business Unit at Novartis as Senior Global Project Leader for Visudyne and Lucentis. In 2011, Dirk was appointed Global Development Unit Head for the Novartis Ophthalmology Development Unit, which subsequently included the development unit of the former Alcon Pharma franchise.

Dirk has a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Münster, and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Marburg, Germany.