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Andrew Conrad
Conrad (2019)
Born1964 (age 59–60)
United States
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Spouses
​
​
(m. 2000; div. 2001)​
Scientific career
FieldsGenetics
InstitutionsNorth Carolina Research Campus

Andrew J. Conrad is an American geneticist who was a co-founder at Verily, a life sciences division of Alphabet Inc.[1] As its chief executive officer, Conrad has recruited a multidisciplinary team of chemists, doctors, engineers, behavioral scientists and data scientists to research health and disease.[2]

Early life

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Conrad grew up in Malibu, California and enjoyed surfing there.[3]

Education

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Conrad graduated with a B.S. in neurobiology and a Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the late 1980s.[4][5]

Career

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In 1991 Conrad co-founded the National Genetics Institute (NGI) along with Mike Aicher.[6] He served as its chief scientist and helped grow it into one of the largest genetics laboratories in the world.[7] In 2000 LabCorp bought NGI for $65 million.[3]

With the money earned from the sale of NGI, Conrad built a vacation home on the Lānaʻi island of Hawaii. On June 2, 2000, Conrad and Hollywood actress Courtney Thorne-Smith impulsively got married but the two split 7 months later.[8][9][10]

At an art auction in Lānaʻi, Conrad met David H. Murdock, chairman and owner of Dole Food Company, and also owner of Lānaʻi island. Murdock came to trust Conrad and eventually gave him board membership on companies he controlled: Castle & Cooke, Dole Food Company and NovaRx. Conrad invested his money with Murdock and his son, Justin.[3]

In 2005, Conrad helped set up the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC), a life sciences research center in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Murdock donated $700 million to NCRC as its founder.[3][11] As its chief scientific advisor, Conrad attracted prominent scientists and companies to NCRC to develop products focused on agriculture, food, nutrition, and health.[12]

In November 2006 Conrad founded the California Health and Longevity Institute inside the Four Seasons Westlake Village, California in partnership with Murdock and Wellpoint.[13][14]

In March 2013, Conrad joined the life sciences unit of Google X after 22 years at NGI.[15][16]

In June 2013 Murdock started the process to take the Dole Food Company private and appointed Conrad at the head of a four-person special committee of independent directors to approve a deal.[17] Murdock initially offered $12 a share in cash,[18] a price that the committee found too low. Murdock ultimately closed the deal at $13.50 but shareholders sued anyway. In 2015 they were awarded $148 million in damages while Conrad was found to have acted with integrity, and was not held liable.[19]

In August 2015, the life sciences unit of Google X was spun out as its own company under the Alphabet Inc. with Conrad as its CEO.[20] In December 2015, the company changed its name from Google Life Sciences to Verily.[21]

In January 2023, Stephen Gillett became the new CEO of Verily,[22] while Conrad shifted roles to become the executive chairman amid a corporate restructuring.[23]

In February 2024, Conrad joined S32, a venture capital firm founded by Bill Maris, as a General Partner. Conrad, a notable figure in the fields of technology and data science, previously held senior roles at various Alphabet Inc. divisions, including Verily Life Sciences, Google Ventures, and Google X. His extensive experience in technology and computational biology complements S32's focus on investing in the frontiers of technology.[24][25]

Awards

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Conrad was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in Biopharma 2015 by FierceBiotech.[4][26]

Publications

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Conrad has more than eighty-five publications in scientific and medical journals.[5]

Personal life

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Conrad is an avid surfer and has a casual dressing style. He is married to Haylynn Cohen, a model,[3] with whom he has two children.[27]

References

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  1. ^ Alistair Barr (Jul 25, 2014). "Meet the Google X Life Sciences Team". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Charles Piller (December 7, 2015). "Verily, I swear. Google Life Sciences debuts a new name". STAT News. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e Charles Piller (Mar 28, 2016). "Google's bold bid to transform medicine hits turbulence under a divisive CEO". STAT News. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Johnson & Johnson Innovation Labs (Aug 10, 2015). "Meet Andy Conrad of Google Life Sciences". Xconomy, Inc. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Andrew J. Conrad Ph.D.: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  6. ^ "Genome Interpretation Company Omicia Appoints Mike Aicher as CEO". BusinessWire. January 2, 2013. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  7. ^ "National Genetics Institute » Who We Are » Andrew Conrad, Ph.D." Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "Shortest Hollywood marriages: Courtney Thorne-Smith and Andrew Conrad, 7 months". NY Daily News. Aug 21, 2004. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  9. ^ Stephen M. Silverman (Jan 4, 2001). "Thorne-Smith, Hubby: Split". People magazine. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  10. ^ "End of Honeymoon for Thorne-Smith". ABC News. Jan 4, 2001. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  11. ^ "Precision Medicine Initiative: Andrew J. Conrad, Ph.D." National Institutes of Health. November 10, 2015. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Hugh Fisher (Jul 1, 2008). "Conrad brings it". Salisbury Post. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "California Health and Longevity Institute Background" (PDF). California Health and Longevity Institute. Jan 19, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 16, 2016. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  14. ^ Jill Weinlein (March 2015). "10 Wellness Activities at the Four Seasons Westlake Village". The Independent Traveler, Inc. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  15. ^ Steven Levy (Oct 28, 2014). "Steven Levy interviews Andrew Conrad: "We're Hoping to Build the Tricorder"". BackChannel. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  16. ^ Ibanca Anand (January 8, 2015). "Google X's Newest Breakthrough Endeavor (and How Duke Is Involved)". North Carolina Research Campus. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  17. ^ Steven Davidoff Solomon (September 17, 2013). "Dole Food's Buyout in 2013 Looks a Lot Like One in 2003". The New York Times. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  18. ^ Jack Kaskey, Simon Casey (June 11, 2013). "Dole Food Chairman Makes $645 Million Bid to Go Private". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  19. ^ Matt Levine (Aug 27, 2015). "Dole's CEO Got Himself Too Sweet a Deal". Bloomberg View. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  20. ^ Ben Popper (August 21, 2015). "Google confirms Life Sciences as the first new company under the umbrella of Alphabet". The Verge. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  21. ^ Josh Beckerman. "Google Life Sciences Rebrands as Verily". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  22. ^ "Stephen Gillett begins tenure as Verily CEO". Verily. Retrieved Jan 19, 2023.
  23. ^ Miles Kruppa. "Alphabet Unit Verily to Trim More Than 200 Jobs". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Jan 19, 2023.
  24. ^ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/s32-names-dr-andy-conrad-as-general-partner-302068930.html
  25. ^ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-22/founder-of-alphabet-s-verily-andy-conrad-joins-vc-firm-s32
  26. ^ FierceBiotech (May 13, 2015). "The 25 most influential people in biopharma in 2015: Andrew Conrad – Google Life Sciences". FierceMarkets. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
  27. ^ "A Conversation With Haylynn Cohen". The Cultural Omnivore. Jan 6, 2014. Retrieved Mar 28, 2016.
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