Richard Gaynor

Richard Gaynor, M.D., has been the Independent Director and Chair of the Research and Development Committee since November 2021.

Dr. Gaynor is the President and Chief of Research and Development of BioNTech U.S. Prior to this, he was President, Research and Development, at Neon Therapeutics, beginning in 2016. Previously, Dr. Gaynor spent 15 years in senior roles at Lilly Oncology, including as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs. He chaired the Lilly Oncology Research and Development Committee and helped oversee collaborations with such companies as Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, AstraZeneca, and GE Healthcare. Dr. Gaynor also led preclinical and early clinical oncology research at Lilly.

Dr. Gaynor holds an M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, where he served a residency in internal medicine. He completed fellowship training in hematology-oncology at the UCLA School of Medicine, where he spent nine years on the faculty. He then served for 11 years on the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, including as the Chief of Hematology-Oncology and Director of the Simmons Cancer Center. He is the author of nearly 150 publications.

Dr. Gaynor participates on numerous advisory boards and committees, including currently serving as a Director of Alkermes, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, and the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.