Corey Scott Goodman
Corey Goodman is a scientist, educator, and entrepreneur. He received his B.S. from Stanford University in 1972 and his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley in 1977. He was a Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral fellow at U.C. San Diego from 1977 to 1979. He spent 25 years as Professor of Biology at Stanford University and Evan Rauch Chair of Neurobiology at Berkeley (Dept. of Molecular and Cell Biology), where he was Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Head of the Neurobiology Division, and co-founder and Director of the Wills Neuroscience Institute. He published over 200 scientific papers. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience in the Wills Neuroscience Institute at U.C. Berkeley.
During his nearly three-decade academic career, Dr. Goodman was a developmental neurobiologist who used the power of genetics to try to understand the mechanisms that control the wiring of the brain, that is, how neurons find their correct targets, make appropriate synaptic connections, and adjust and refine the size
Dr. Goodman is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and American Philosophical Society, and recipient of many honors including the Alan T. Waterman Award, Canada Gairdner Biomedical Award, March-of-Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology, Reeve-Irvine Research Medal, and Dawson Prize in Genetics from Trinity College Dublin.
Dr. Goodman moved from academia to biotechnology to help apply biomedical discoveries to human health. He co-founded seven biotechnology companies (the first being Exelixis), and led one of them (Renovis) as President and CEO from a private to public company until its acquisition. He was recruited to be President and founder of Pfizer’s Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation Center and a member of Pfizer’s executive leadership team.
Today Dr. Goodman is a Managing Partner of venBio, a venture capital firm he co-founded that focuses on innovative therapeutics for major unmet medical needs, with a model of strategic investment with Merck, Amgen, and Baxalta.
Dr. Goodman is Chair of the Board of Second Genome, Solstice Biologics, Heart Metabolics, Alexo Therapeutics, and Adheren. He is a member of the Board of Checkmate. He chaired Labrys Biologics until its acquisition by Teva.
Amongst his many public policy roles, Dr. Goodman is Chair of the California Council on Science and Technology (advising the Governor and State Legislature), a member of the board of the Pacific Institute, former Chair of the National Research Council's (NAS) Board on Life Sciences (advising the Federal Government), and past President of the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience. He advises numerous biomedical foundations.