Dennis M. Gross, MS, PhD

Dennis M Gross, MS, Ph.D. is the CEO of the Pennsylvania Drug Discovery Institute and Professor of Experimental Therapeutics and Medicinal Chemistry at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. He is also a teaching faculty in the Jefferson College of Life Sciences and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University (TJU). In addition, he is Corporate Faculty at Harrisburg University of Science & Technology. He is a member of the National Visiting Committee for the Northeast Biomanufacturing Center and Collaborative. Previously, he was the Associate Dean at TJU for Program Development and Assessment and Director for the Professional Science Masters Programs, Associate Professor of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics in the Jefferson Medical College, and Associate Director for Curriculum for the TJU Postbaccalaureate Pre-Professional Premed Program. Before this, he was at the Merck Research Labs for 29 years retiring in 2006 as Senior Director and Head of West Point Business Operations with overall responsibilities for capital planning and facilities in Pennsylvania, California, and Massachusetts. He was also responsible for capital lab and office projects and operations oversight at Merck lab sites in Canada, Japan, Italy, and the UK. In his career at Merck, he held several positions ranging from bench scientist to manager of computer resources, divisional data security administrator, manager of international strategic planning, M&A activities and liaison for basic research and clinical drug development in Japan working with Banyu Pharmaceuticals. During his tenure at Merck, he also served as an Adjunct Professor of Global Logistics in the School of Business and Industry of Florida A&M University. He has worked with the Center for Strategic & International Studies on policy issues relating to biological weapons of mass destruction.

He received his BA (1969) and MS (1970) from California State University Northridge and his Ph.D. (1974) from UCLA pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacology at the Tulane University School of Medicine. He has also participated in executive education programs at Wharton, MIT, and the Tufts School of Law and received NIMS and ICS certification from the FEMA Emergency Management Institute.

He has served as the National Co-Chair for the Biotechnology Entrepreneur Bootcamp since 2015. He is a member of the American Association for Pharmaceutical Scientists, American Chemical Society, History of Science Society, International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, Sigma Xi, and the Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association.