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STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION

George D. Yancopoulos


President & Chief Scientific Officer
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D. is currently President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and has served on the board since 2001. He launched his career as an academic scientist at Columbia University where he earned an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, publishing seminal papers in molecular immunology and becoming a professor of biology by age 28. In 1989, George left academia to co-found and build Regeneron, alongside Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D. Under their leadership, Regeneron has become one of the most admired and innovative companies in biotech, with numerous FDA-approved medicines and a pipeline of investigational products — almost all homegrown in the company’s own laboratories. During his career, George has been among the most highly cited scientists in the world, with landmark publications on a range of topics, including findings leading to the development of Regeneron’s medicines and technologies. His team continues to pursue cutting-edge research, including through the world-leading Regeneron Genetics Center which works to identify new and improved treatments. George is committed to supporting the next generation of young scientists and plays an active role in Regeneron’s STEM education and mentorship programs, including a $100 million commitment to the Regeneron Science Talent Search. George was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and into the Biotech Hall of Fame in 2014. He and Dr. Schleifer were recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2016. In 2020, George was named by Fortune as one of the World’s 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes Of The Pandemic. George’s leadership of company culture has also been recognized, with Regeneron routinely listed as a top employer by Science, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company and others. In 2022, Regeneron was awarded the prestigious Prix Galien USA Best Biotechnology Product for Inmazeb®, the first FDA-approved treatment for Ebola virus.