Linda Higgins

Linda Higgins is a non-executive member of our Board of Directors since 22 October 2019. Linda Slanec Higgins, PhD, joined Gilead Sciences, Inc. in 2010 and is currently Sr. Vice President Research Strategy, Innovation & Portfolio. In her first ten years at Gilead, she led the Biology division, significantly expanding the therapeutic area scope and capabilities of the department. She founded External Innovation as integral component for Research. She previously served as President & Chief Executive Officer of InteKrin Therapeutics, and as Head of Research at Scios, a Johnson & Johnson company, where she provided leadership for drug discovery, preclinical development and translational medicine. Dr. Higgins is passionate about biopharmaceutical discovery and development, and has been dedicated to excellence in applied scientific research since 1991. She has led projects and departments in multiple therapeutic areas including central nervous system, fibrosis, inflammation, cardiovascular, virology and oncology. Dr. Higgins built many of these as new areas at Scios and Gilead. Dr. Higgins earned an A.B. in Behavioral Physiology from Kenyon College, a Ph.D. in Neurosciences from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and completed Post-Doctoral training in Molecular Genetics at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of the University of California, Berkeley. She has authored over 50 original peer reviewed scientific papers and invited articles, and is an inventor of over a dozen patents. Dr. Higgins also serves as a non-executive director on the Board of Arcus Biosciences and Tizona Therapeutics.