Vicki Sato

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Vicki L. Sato is a retired professor who spent much of her career bridging science and business. She is a former professor at Harvard Business School and Harvard University, and since 2021 she has served on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Background and career
- Education: Sato earned an AB in biology from Radcliffe College, and an AM and PhD in biology from Harvard University in 1972, studying genetics of photosynthesis under Paul Levine.
- Early research: She did postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Stanford Medical Center, shifting from biophysics to immunology. She returned to Harvard as a professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and helped teach immunology with Walter Gilbert, among others who were involved in founding Biogen.
- Biogen: In 1984, she joined Biogen and rose to become Vice President of Research and a member of the Scientific Board by 1992.
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Sato later became Chief Scientific Officer at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, then Senior VP of Research and Development, and ultimately President of Vertex from 2000 to 2005. During this time, drugs such as Avonex, Tysabri, and Telaprevir were developed.
- Harvard and innovation: After retiring from Vertex, she joined Harvard’s faculty in 2006 to study innovation and productivity in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and development. She retired from Harvard in 2017.

Boards and affiliations
- Sato has served on the boards of Akouos, Allogene Therapeutics, Vir, and Syros Pharmaceuticals. She has previously served on the boards of Bristol Myers Squibb, BorgWarner, PerkinElmer, Galapagos NV, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. She was a founding member of the Broad Institute’s Scientific Board and has advised Atlas Venture.
- In 2017, she received the Xport of the Year award from Xconomy.

Personal life
- She is married to Harvard Professor Lewis C. Cantley.