Dr. Jim Pannucci leads the Leidos Explorations in Global Health (ExGloH) Division – a focused effort to develop peptide immune modulators against cancer and to improve T-cell responses to vaccines. Jim’s background is in global health, biodefense, and emerging infectious diseases with over 20 years of scientific and management experience that includes RNA structural biology, drug discovery, biodefense, vaccine development, and now cancer research.

Jim’s career began with characterizing antiviral therapeutics at the Schering-Plough Research Institute (now Merck & Co.), and then a Ph.D. (Microbiology) from the North Carolina State University. He was a postdoc at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, became a technical staff member, and eventually a Team Leader in the BioScience Division. Jim joined SAIC/Leidos in 2006 to support contracts with DHS (NBACC) and NIAID (malaria vaccines), and led the Leidos Life Sciences division from 2011-2016. Prior to ExGloH, He was the Director of Partnership Development at the Frederick National Laboratory – an NCI funded cancer research institute operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. (a Leidos subsidiary).

KEY EXPERTISE AREAS

• Early stage biopharmaceuticals for cancer, infectious diseases, and biodefense
• Strategy, business/pipeline development, profit-and-loss management, and R&D operations
• Commercial, non-profit, government laboratory, and contract service business cultures
• Contributed to 8 patent families, 13 publications, 12 professional awards and recognitions