Jackson (Jay) B. Gibbs, Ph.D.

Jay Gibbs is a pharmaceuticals professional who specializes in Oncology and Pharmacology R&D. Most recently, he worked at AstraZeneca for 6 years and was Director, Licensing and Scientific Affairs, Cancer Research. There he helped to plan and implement the scientific strategy for academic alliances and licensing opportunities to best align external research with the global oncology portfolio.
Jay received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Virginia. He then conducted postdoctoral studies with Edward Scolnick at Merck. He worked at Merck for 23 years in oncology research and drug discovery, and rose to the level of Senior Director, Cancer Research. During his career at Merck, Jay performed target identification/validation studies, led multidisciplinary teams on medicinal chemistry supported projects in the areas of signal transduction, angiogenesis, and cell cycle, actively led externalization efforts, and was involved with preclinical/early clinical development (including IND filings).
Jay is co-inventor on five U.S. issued patents and an author of 128 research articles, book chapters, and review articles. Some of the invited review articles (published in Cell and Science) focused on the interface between basic research and drug discovery in oncology. Jay also has been actively involved with the external scientific community. He has made over 100 presentations at universities and conferences, and he was an Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for fifteen years.
Jay currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the George Washington University. His expertise in basic research and drug discovery has been recognized in membership on several research advisory boards. He has been invited and participated in setting the Scientific Strategic Vision for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, the Lustgarten Foundation, and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Jay has also been a member of the External Advisory Board for the Fox Chase Cancer Center.