![Karen Gheesling Mullis](https://provost.wustl.edu/files/2023/08/WashU-Staff-Photo-Karen-Mullis-280x386.jpg)
Karen Gheesling Mullis
Director of New Ventures, Washington University Office of Technology
Dr. Karen Gheesling Mullis has 30 plus years of experience in academic and pharmaceutical R&D and serves as Director of New Ventures, in the Washington University in St. Louis Office of Technology Management. She worked in the biotech startup space first as a Venture Partner, President of Archer Seed Fund with RiverVest Venture Partners, and then in operational roles at Wugen, a RiverVest founded company, helping grow the company from employee #1 to a clinical stage biotech. She spent over 20 years with Pfizer and heritage Pharmacia/Searle, where she was asset project manager and operations team leader in Oncology Clinical Development leading teams from IND to product launch including IBRANCE™. Dr. Gheesling Mullis received her BS in Chemistry from Emory University, her PhD in Biochemistry from University of Alabama in Birmingham. She first came to Washington University for her post-doctoral training with Dr. Rosalind Kornfeld, Professor of Biochemistry at the School of Medicine.