Former Lilly Executive to Lead Advanced Data Sciences at IBRI

August 24, 2017

The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) announced today that Daniel H. Robertson, PhD, the former Senior Director of Research IT at Eli Lilly and Company, has joined the IBRI as Research Fellow and Vice President of Digital Technology.

Robertson spent the last two years at the IBRI as part of a loaned executive program at Lilly. During that time, he built out the IBRI’s computational analytics, digital, and data sciences capabilities and launched its Applied Data Sciences Core. Robertson was instrumental in identifying and initiating IBRI’s first few collaborative projects, including a type 2 diabetes phenotyping project with Lilly, Roche Diagnostics, and the Regenstrief Institute; and a toxicogenomics project with Lilly and Dow AgroSciences.

“We are thrilled that Dan has opted to stay with the IBRI and continue to build on the success he’s already had to date,” said David Broecker, President and CEO of the IBRI. “He has been instrumental to launching one of the core areas of scientific expertise here at the IBRI, developing collaborations with multiple parties, and helping us tackle the integration of data and biology in ways that produce meaningful results.”

In addition to working at Lilly, Robertson held several positions at Indiana University-Purdue University, including Associate Scientist and Director of Technical and Administrative Services and Manager of the Facility for Computational Molecular Science. He was a postdoctoral research associate at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., and earned his PhD in physical chemistry and his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Florida Southern College. During his combined academic and industrial career to date he has made scientific contributions across many areas and disciplines represented by his 67 peer-reviewed papers, three invited book chapters and numerous professional and technical presentations.

“I am very excited to be joining IBRI in a permanent role,” said Robertson. “I believe that IBRI has a unique opportunity to drive innovation within the state leveraging the strengths of its global life sciences companies, strong academic organizations and institutes, and flourishing technology sector. I plan to continue to drive collaborative projects within this space and bridge the gap between the academic and commercial organizations as well as between the complex life sciences and technology sectors.”

“The rapidly advancing technical areas of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and Internet of (Medical) Things, create multiple opportunities to explore the application of these technologies in the life sciences, health, nutrition and agriculture to drive new innovation,” said Rainer Fischer, PhD, Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer at IBRI. “IBRI’s work across these disciplines will enable new disease insights from health data coupled with deep biology, new approaches for understanding health like digital phenotyping or biomarkers, companion diagnostics, smart health or precision medicine or nutrition.”

“The challenges are daunting, but the opportunity to work at IBRI and be a part of this future transformation is very appealing,” said Robertson.

About Indiana Biosciences Research Institute

The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) is an independent, nonprofit discovery science and applied research institute currently focused on innovation targeting cardio-metabolic diseases, diabetes and poor nutrition. Inspired by the state and Indiana’s leading life sciences companies, research universities and philanthropic community, the IBRI is building a world-class organization of researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs that will catalyze scientific discovery and its application, resulting in improved health outcomes for patients. For more information about the IBRI and donation or collaboration opportunities, please visit www.indianabiosciences.org.