Eric Poma, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientific Officer
Eric Poma, Ph.D. has served as Molecular Templates’ Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer since the Company’s inception in 2009. From March 2005 until September 2008, Dr. Poma was Vice President of Business Development of Innovive Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Cytrx Corporation), a biotechnology company. From 2001 to 2005, he served as the Associate Vice President of Business Development at ImClone Systems. (now Eli Lilly and Company) a biotechnology company focused on antibody therapeutics. As the founder and in his role as Chief Scientific Officer at Molecular Templates, he led the invention of the technology underlying Molecular Templates’ platform technology and what constitutes the whole of Molecular Templates’ current lead and preclinical pipeline candidates. Dr. Poma received his Doctor of Philosophy in Microbiology and Immunology and Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Master of Business Administration from New York University.
Jason Kim
President & Chief Financial Officer
Jason Kim joined Molecular Templates in 2010 and serves as President and Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer. He also served as Molecular Templates’ President and Chief Financial Officer from February 2010 to August 2017. Previously, Mr. Kim led corporate development and strategic planning initiatives at OSI Pharmaceuticals and ImClone Systems. He served as an investment professional at Domain Associates and Safeguard Scientifics where he focused on venture and public investments in biotechnology. Mr. Kim holds a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from Wesleyan University.
Kristen Quigley
Chief Operating Officer
Kristen Quigley joined Molecular Templates in 2017 and serves as Chief Operating Officer. She previously served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations. She has 27 years of clinical research experience, including 24 years in phase I-IV clinical trial and project management, and over 6 years in executive roles. Kristen served in Vice President/ Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations roles at two biotech companies prior to joining Molecular Templates, she co-directed the Nordic region for a large global CRO, and she has successfully governed clinical development portfolios worth as much as $147M. Ms. Quigley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis.
Grace Kim
Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Investor Relations
Dr. Grace Kim joined Molecular Templates in 2022 and serves as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Investor Relations. She has 20 years of experience driving investor strategy, corporate strategy, and business development. Previously, she led two biopharma advisories in Senior Vice President and Founder roles and served on matrixed leadership teams. Companies she worked with include BeiGene, BioMarin, Cullinan Oncology, Celularity, Aimmune (Nestlé), and others. Dr. Kim earned a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Florida with post-doc immunology training and graduate studies at the University of Chicago. She is published in Nature Clinical Oncology and holds an adjunct faculty position at Columbia University.
Michelle Iwamoto-Fan, Ph.D., J.D.
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Dr. Iwamoto-Fan joined Molecular Templates in March 2020 and serves as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. She has over twenty years of both law firm and in-house pharmaceutical and biotechnology legal experience. Before joining Molecular Templates, she was Head of Intellectual Property at Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., managing all aspects of patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution, due diligence, transactions, and litigation. Prior to Intercept, she was patent counsel at Forest Laboratories and was responsible for patent prosecution and lifecycle management of several product portfolios. Dr. Iwamoto-Fan has a Ph.D. in Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a J.D. from St. Johns University and a B.A. from Smith College.
Chris Moore, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Head of Preclinical Development and Translational Medicine
Chris Moore, PhD joined Molecular Templates in January 2021 and serves as Senior Vice President and Head of Preclinical Development and Translational Medicine. Dr. Moore has over 15 years of experience in preclinical development from target inception through clinical proof of concept in both small molecules and biologics. Prior to joining Molecular Templates, Dr. Moore held leadership positions at Glaxosmithkline and Arbutus Biopharma where he pioneered the invention of several novel molecules including the first oral small molecule PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor. Dr. Moore has successfully progressed six INDs and two fast-track designations and is a leading thought leader in the fields of immunopathology, clinical immunology, immuno-virology and immuno-oncology. Dr Moore has authored over 40 publications in high impact journals such as Nature and Cell Press including seminal discoveries in the fields of innate immunity, tolerance, and checkpoint biology. Dr. Moore has more than a dozen patents. Dr. Moore received his PhD in Immunology and MS in Physiology and Biotechnology from North Carolina State University, his BS in Biology and Chemistry from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
Joseph Phillips, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Head of CMC Development
Joseph Phillips, Ph.D. joined Molecular Templates in June 2020 and serves as Senior Vice President and Head of CMC Development. Before joining Molecular Templates, he was Senior Vice President and Head of Pharmaceutical Development at ArmaGen, Inc., leading CMC, manufacturing and clinical supply operations for biologic therapeutics developed for neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Prior to ArmaGen, Dr. Phillips was an independent consultant providing expertise in bioprocess and product development, manufacturability, QbD, cGMP production, technical operations, quality and global CMC submissions. Previously, he was at Amgen, Inc. serving in several leadership roles in process and product development associated with the successful implementation of platform manufacturing processes and application of single-use manufacturing technology. Before joining Amgen, Mr. Phillips worked at The Upjohn Company (Pfizer/Pharmacia) and GSK in drug substance and drug product development. Mr. Phillips received his Ph.D. in pharmaceutics and analytical chemistry from University of Brighton (UK), his M.Sc. in organometallic chemistry from University of Sussex (UK) and his B.Sc. in applied chemistry from University of Brighton (UK).