Ira J. Smith, Ph.D.

Director

Ira J. Smith, PhD is a Director with ShangPharma Innovation, where he is responsible for sourcing and analyzing investment opportunities with early-stage pharma/biotech companies, and managing ShangPharma’s investment pipeline and diligence process. He also supports various other corporate activities, including scientific collaborations, business development, and operations.

Before joining ShangPharma, Dr. Smith was Senior Manager of Strategic Business Development and R&D at Lonza, where sourced and evaluated novel life science technologies. Prior to Lonza he served as Senior Scientist and team leader at Rigel Pharmaceuticals, where he directed preclinical and basic discovery research. Dr. Smith completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School/Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Duke University Medical Center, and earned a Ph.D. in Applied Physiology from the University of Florida.