Timothy Riley, PhD

Tim Riley is a highly respected and seasoned professional with a wide-ranging background in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well as significant business development experience. He brings to RSRT a passion for translational research that can impact lives and expertise in rare disease therapeutics, among many other relevant areas. Riley’s 30-year track record in the pharmaceutical industry includes multiple approved and clinical stage drugs, and successful leadership of high-performing research teams.

Dr. Riley is currently market sector leader for Mass General Brigham Innovation, where he is responsible for commercializing intellectual property and therapeutic programs from $1.8 billion in research funding from Mass General, Brigham and Women’s, and other Harvard Medical School-associated research hospitals. He is also an entrepreneur-in-residence at Yale University, where he is a strategic advisor for the translation of basic research programs to pharmaceutical applications.

He has also served as associate vice chancellor for innovation and business development at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he played a critical role in facilitating relationships among researchers, investors, and industry. Riley had a decade-long tenure at Nektar Therapeutics. His achievements there included working with the FDA to Fast Track therapeutics, leading a research team of 85 scientists for development of focused medicinal chemistry, and coordinating internal and external international relationships. He also co-founded a target validation company, linking genes to their importance in disease.

Dr. Riley holds a bachelor's of science in chemistry and a PhD in organic chemistry with a biochemistry emphasis from Brigham Young University. His therapeutic and technical areas of expertise include rare diseases, polymer technologies, large molecules, peptides and proteins, and small molecules.