James Schaeffer, Ph.D.

Vice President, Business Strategy, PhenoTarget

James Schaeffer, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine and was a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Julius Axelrod at the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Schaeffer had a 25-year career at Merck Research Labs (MRL) where his research focused primarily on neuroendocrine-related projects. Dr. Schaeffer subsequently moved to San Diego to assume the role of Merck’s “Science Scout” on the West Coast, with the responsibility to identify new licensing opportunities across all therapeutic areas at all stages of development including enabling technologies. He was directly involved in the formation of a partnership between Merck and Dr. Peter Schultz which lead to the establishment of The California Institute for Biomedical Research (Calibr).  When Calibr merged with Scripps Research Institute (TSIR), Dr. Schaeffer joined TSIR as VP of External Relations. He has co-founded several successful biotech companies and continues to consult for several nascent start-ups. Prior to joining Merck, Jim was a professor in the Department of Reproductive Medicine in the School of Medicine at UCSD.