Michael Andrew Foley, Ph.D., is a pioneering entrepreneur, scientific leader, and accomplished executive whose career bridges academia, industry, and venture-backed innovation in the life sciences. With over two decades of senior leadership experience, Dr. Foley has founded, built, and led multiple companies and research organizations dedicated to advancing novel therapeutics from concept to clinical proof-of-concept.

Currently the Scientific Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Excelsior Sciences Inc., Dr. Foley secured $25 million in State of New York funding, matched by Deerfield Management, to launch the company. Previously, as CEO of Deerfield Discovery & Development Corporation, he established an integrated drug discovery model that united top academic medical researchers with industry expertise, creating a genetic analysis platform to prioritize programs with the greatest likelihood of success.

From 2014 to 2018, Dr. Foley served as the Founding CEO and Sanders Director of the Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute—a landmark collaboration among Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Weill Cornell Medicine—where he partnered with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company to advance academic discoveries toward the clinic. Earlier, he directed the Broad Institute’s Chemical Biology Platform, leading a 100+ person team and more than 150 academic collaborations totaling over $100 million in funding.

A serial entrepreneur, Dr. Foley co-founded several biotech companies that have collectively raised billions in venture and non-dilutive funding, including CombinatoRx, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Forma Therapeutics, and KDAC Therapeutics. His ventures have produced numerous clinical candidates, landmark partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies, and innovative business models for accelerating drug discovery.

Dr. Foley began his career as a medicinal chemist at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Glaxo Wellcome, where he established Glaxo’s first high-throughput chemical synthesis platform. His research has yielded significant advances in small-molecule and combination therapeutics, resulting in a substantial portfolio of publications, patents, and collaborations.

In addition to his corporate roles, Dr. Foley has held academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medicine, and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and has served on the boards of multiple companies and institutions. He is a member of the Governor of New York’s Life Sciences Advisory Board and a Trustee of St. Norbert College, his undergraduate alma mater.

Dr. Foley earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University, an M.S. in Chemistry from Utah State University, and a B.S. in Chemistry from St. Norbert College. His leadership, vision, and commitment to translational science continue to shape the future of therapeutic discovery and development.