Brian Pollok, Ph.D., is Life Technologies’ Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Global Science & Innovation based in Carlsbad, CA. He oversees the allocation of more than $350M in R&D funds annually, which has yielded innovative new products in the areas of DNA sequencing, cell analysis, and molecular biology. Dr. Pollok has been with Life Tech since 2003, previously serving as CSO and Head of Global R&D for Invitrogen, and as VP of R&D for the company’s Discovery Sciences unit in Madison, WI. Prior to joining Life Tech, Dr. Pollok served as Sr. VP of R&D and Co-Founder at Ansata Therapeutics in La Jolla (2002-03), as VP of Discovery Biology at Aurora Biosciences/Vertex Pharmaceuticals in San Diego (1997-2002), as Sr. Research Investigator at Pfizer Central Research in Groton, CT (1993-97), and as Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. (1987-93). Dr. Pollok received his B.A. in biology and chemistry from UVa, and his Ph.D. from UAB.  Dr. Pollok held a Damon Runyon Cancer Fund postdoctoral fellowship at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia. He is a member of the editorial board of the journal ASSAY, and is an advisor for several non-profit disease organizations. Dr. Pollok is also a past recipient of an American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award and an Arthritis Foundation Investigator Award.