Edison Liu, M.D. is a physician, scientist, institution builder, and global thought leader in science and economic development.  He was president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), and Director of its NCI designated Cancer Center. Under his watch, JAX nearly tripled its revenues and expanded from Maine and California, to Connecticut, Japan, and China. Before that, he was the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore, and chairman of the board of Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (Singapore’s FDA equivalent). In these capacities, he helped build Singapore into a biotech powerhouse in Southeast Asia. For this accomplishment, he was elected twice as president of the international Human Genome Organization (HUGO). Earlier on, Dr. Liu was the scientific director of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Clinical Sciences in Bethesda, Md., and professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he was the director of the university’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Breast Cancer. An expert in cancer biology and genomics with a focus on breast cancer, he has authored over 350 scientific papers, reviews and books, and is a frequent commentator on the role of science in economic development of emerging nations.  A graduate of Stanford University with post graduate training in Washington University, St. Louis, and University of California at San Francisco, Dr. Liu has received numerous awards and honors, and advises both biotech companies and non-profit organizations across the world.