Dr. John Mendlein currently serves as CEO and Executive Chairman of aTyr Pharma. He served as CEO of Adnexus Therapeutics until Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) purchased the company after the award-winning partnership between Adnexus and BMY. Previously, Dr. Mendlein served as Vice Chairman and CEO at Affinium Pharmaceuticals, and he held a variety of roles, including Board Member, General Counsel and Chief Knowledge Officer, at Aurora Biosciences (acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals). He has worked as an attorney at Cooley LLP, a law firm, in its life sciences and technology litigation practice groups and as a scientist in the Department of Molecular Biology and Protein Expression at Smith Kline & French, now GlaxoSmithKline. He serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fate Therapeutics, Board member of Moderna Therapeutics and an Advisory Board member of Genesys Capital. Dr. Mendlein is also a Founder and Board member of Homes for Sudan, a non-profit in Boston, and a Scientific Advisory Board member for Ocean Discovery Institute, a non-profit in San Diego. He is the author or inventor on more than 70 publications and patents. Dr. Mendlein earned a Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics from the University of California, Los Angeles, a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law and a B.S. in biology from the University of Miami.
