Christalyn Rhodes
CHRISTALYN RHODES, PhD ’18, biological sciences in public health, and 2017 Harvard Horizons Scholar, is the associate vice president of academic collaborations and external partnerships for Eli Lilly's Institute for Genetic Medicines. There, she works at the intersection of science and business to transform medicine discovery, development, and delivery by identifying pivotal breakthrough technologies. Previously, as a biotech venture capital associate at Flagship Pioneering then tech entrepreneur, Christalyn originated novel platforms and companies that design therapeutics to address diseases that carry a high economic burden.
Christalyn currently serves as expert-in-residence for Harvard Innovation Lab, where she advises students and alumni on pitch preparation, idea generation, and commercial potential of projects. She also serves on the external advisory board for the University of Massachusetts BRIDGE Fund, bridging funding gaps for academics with commercializable technology. Christalyn is the inventor on multiple patents for platform technologies and is a recent recipient of Eli Lilly's 2021 Lilly Research Lab President’s DEI Award. She has had her prior work published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.