Senior Vice President, Research, Bristol Myers Squibb
Robert McDowell has nearly four decades of experience discovering small molecule drugs in cardiovascular disease, inflammation, and oncology, with seven compounds advancing into clinical trials and two on the market. Dr. McDowell was an integral part of MyoKardia since its inception in 2012, having served as Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery through October 2017, when he was promoted to Chief Scientific Officer. Following MyoKardia’s acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020. Dr. McDowell served as Senior Vice President of Research and helped integrate the team and site into the larger company. He retired in March of 2022. Prior to joining MyoKardia, Dr. McDowell led drug discovery at 3-V Biosciences, advancing the company’s lead program into development. He previously served as vice president of research at Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw drug discovery, translational research and manufacturing functions. Dr. McDowell led the structural chemistry group at Axys Pharmaceuticals. Before joining Axys, Dr. McDowell was a senior scientist at Genentech, where he developed successful strategies for peptidomimetic design. Dr. McDowell has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is an inventor on more than 20 issued U.S. patents. Dr. McDowell holds a B.S. in chemistry and physics from Butler University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.