Prakash Rao, PhD, MBA
Senior Director,
Ginkgo Bioworks
Dr. Prakash Rao is a seasoned Business Development professional with dual training and experience in science and business within the biopharma sector. Through his rich and diverse experience within the federal government, academia, large pharma and biotech, Prakash has participated and contributed in (almost) all of the important pillars of the bioinnovation economy.
Most recently, Dr. Prakash Rao was Sr. Director at Ginkgo Bioworks, a pioneering company using synthetic biology to provide discovery stage services to the biopharma sector.
Prior to joining Ginkgo, Prakash was the Executive Director of Corporate & Business Development at i2o Therapeutics. i2o Therapeutics is advancing a combination of best-in-class delivery and best in class peptides to treat cardiometabolic indications such as obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and MASH.
At the Federal Government, Prakash was a Sr. Manager/Portfolio and Programs within the DRIVe division of Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a federal agency tasked with developing countermeasures to biological threats. He was a member of the core founding team that built BARDA Ventures-a novel initiative through which the US federal government makes equity-based investments in companies that promote the health security of Americans. During the COVID-19 response, Prakash also contributed to the evaluation of many funding proposals for antivirals that targeted the SARS-CoV2 virus. Prakash has also led scientific teams and projects at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research.
Prakash received his MBA from MIT/Sloan School of Management and conducted his postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute/MIT. He obtained his Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania.