Jonathan Lasch Named Al Mann Institute Director

Jonathan G. Lasch is the new director at the Alfred Mann Institute. Lasch, who came from Convergent Ventures, an early-stage venture-investment and development company, brings more than 25 years of experience in science and technology development and evaluation in the fields of biomedical instruments and systems, biotechnology, chemistry and materials science. He will use his experience to expand AMI’s programs to develop technologies that improve human health and the practice of medicine.

Lasch has served as chairman of the board and CEO of ORFID Corp., a director of Encode Bio, Inc., and was the founding CEO and member of the board of directors of Neurion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., all Convergent Ventures portfolio companies. He has held leadership positions at two Caltech spinoffs: Materia (materials science) and Cyrano Sciences (chemical sensor technology). He was also director of research and biotechnology for PPG Industries.

Previously, Lasch served as vice president of technology development for The Scripps Research Institute, the largest nonprofit biomedical research institute in the United States. At Scripps, he and his team worked closely with the faculty to move new technologies into development pipelines, in companies ranging from local start-ups to large multinational corporations within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices industries. He also helped to initiate and manage numerous academic-industrial collaborative relationships and efforts, both on campus and in other locations.

Lasch succeeds the late Peter Staudhammer, who became the institute’s director in April 2003 and helped build its portfolio of biomedical technologies