Tim Harris
Tim Harris is a molecular biologist, biochemist, geneticist, and business leader in the biotechnology industry. He completed his undergraduate and doctorate studies at the University of Birmingham, England. Harris now serves as the Senior Vice President for Translation Medicine and Biochemistry at Biogen Idec.
In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Birmingham, where he also received his Bachelor of Sciences in biochemistry and received his PhD in molecular virology. From 1989 to 1993, Harris worked as the Director of Biotechnology at Glaxo Group Research. Then in 1993, he served as Senior Vice President Research and Development at Sequana Therapeutics. In 1999, he founded SGX Pharmaceuticals (formerly Structural Genomix) and served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Novasite Pharmaceuticals. From 2007 to 2011, he was the Chief Technology Officer and Director of the Advanced Technology Program at SAIC-Frederick, Inc., operating the National Cancer Institute’s leading center for cancer and AIDS research.
Harris is the founder of several companies including Caraway Therapeutics in 2016 and Catamaran Bio in 2019. He is also the author of In Pursuit of Unicorns: A Journey Through 50 Years of Biotechnology, published by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press in 2024. The book details the history of the biotechnology industry and its future implications.
Harris is a Venture Partner at SV Health Investors and has been since 2016. He is also currently on the Board of Directors of Phenome TX in Edinburgh and chairman of the SAB of Catamaran Bio.