Dennis Zaller, PhD

Dennis Zaller is a highly experienced drug discovery scientist and immunology expert with a successful track record of developing innovative medicines for patients in need across multiple therapeutic areas, including cancer and autoimmune disease. Dennis has more than 30 years of experience in the biopharma industry. Most recently, he spent five years as executive director, integrative sciences at Celgene (later Bristol Myers Squibb) in Cambridge, Mass. In this role, he provided scientific leadership across a large portfolio of external collaborations with early stage biotechs in immunology, fibrosis and immuno-oncology. During his time at Celgene, Dennis participated in more than 20 joint steering research committees with biotechs and academic collaborators and helped bring six novel molecules to the clinic. Prior to Celgene, he spent 25 years at Merck Research Laboratories in a series of roles with increasing responsibility leading large drug discovery teams at Merck’s New Jersey and Boston sites. While at Merck, Dennis helped to advance 28 molecules into the clinic resulting in eight marketed drugs, including aprepitant, sitagliptin and vibegron. Before joining industry, he conducted academic research at the California Institute of Technology. Dennis has a B.S. from the State University of New York at Albany, and an M.A., M.Phil. & Ph.D. from Columbia University. He is an author of more than 60 manuscripts in leading journals covering a variety of scientific discoveries and is an inventor on seven patents.