Dr. Jean-Pierre Paccaud is heading the business development and corporate strategy activities of GARDP since January 2017, and contributed to its inception and setup.
Previously, he was heading the business development and legal teams of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) since 2007, contributing to establish R&D partnerships with several global pharmaceutical companies as well as biotechs and academic groups. Prior to joining DNDi, Jean-Pierre founded in 2002 Athelas SA, a startup company active in the field of anti-bacterial drug discovery, which he lead until its merger with Merlion Pharmaceuticals in 2006.

Trained as a molecular and cellular biologist, Jean-Pierre earned his PhD at the University of Geneva School of Medicine and completed his post-doctoral training at UC Berkeley in the lab of Prof. Randy Schekman. Before taking on entrepreneurial challenges, Jean-Pierre spent more than 18 years in academia, working in immunology, diabetes, and cell biology, and was tenured at the University of Geneva School of Medicine. He brings to GARDP a combination of business and scientific skills, entrepreneurial experience as well as negotiation and deal-making practice in the context of global public health needs.