David Goeddel

We gratefully acknowledge the outstanding achievements that Dave Goeddel has made in science and business. David, a self-proclaimed goof-off with a short attention span, graduated from Poway High School in 1968. Goeddel earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Colorado in 1977 and went on to become a pioneer in the biotechnology field. Genentech hired him on as its first scientist and first person to succeed in using genetic engineering to coax bacteria into creating synthetic human insulin, human growth hormone, and human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for use in therapeutic medicine. In 1991, he co-founded Tularik, Inc., leading the world into drug discovery related to cell signaling and the control of gene expression. Tularik's subsequent purchase in 2004 by Amgen, Inc., for $1.3 billion made international headlines and formed the world's foremost research facility focusing on developing new therapeutics in inflammation, metabolic diseases, and oncology. Dr. Goeddel is the recipient of several awards, among them, the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, the Scheele Medal, the Inventor of the Year Award, the Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award, the Howley Prize for Arthritis Research, and the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize. Currently on the board of several companies, his main job is as a managing director for The Column Group, a science-driven venture capital firm committed to helping build early-stage drug discovery companies with the potential to deliver multiple breakthrough therapeutics.