William Young, Ph.D.
Mr. Young joined the Vertex Board in May 2014 and has extensive experience in leadership roles within major life sciences and pharmaceutical companies.
He spent nearly two decades at Genentech Inc., serving as its Chief Operating Officer from 1997 to 1999, and more recently was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Monogram Biosciences, Inc., a provider of molecular diagnostics, from 1999 to 2009. During his time at Genentech, the company launched a number of new medicines for diseases ranging from cystic fibrosis to breast cancer. Mr. Young was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Biogen Idec from 2010 through June 2014. He has also been the Chairman of NanoString Technologies since 2010 and is a Director for BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. and Theravance, Inc. Mr. Young is a venture partner at Clarus Ventures, LLC, a life sciences venture capital firm that he joined in 2010.
Mr. Young earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from Purdue University, an MBA from Indiana University and an honorary doctorate in engineering from Purdue University. In 1993, Mr. Young was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to biotechnology.