Morag Grassie
About Morag Grassie
Morag Grassie is the Director of the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, where she combines her extensive pharmaceutical industry experience with academic translation medicine. She has held various roles at Yale University and Organon, contributing to preclinical drug discovery and supporting local businesses.
Current Role at Yale University
Morag Grassie serves as the Director of the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale University. She has held this position since 2023 in New Haven, Connecticut. In this role, she oversees initiatives aimed at fostering innovation and supporting the commercialization of research developed at Yale.
Previous Positions at Yale University
Grassie has held multiple roles at Yale University prior to her current position. She was the Senior Associate Director of the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation from 2020 to 2023. Additionally, she served as the Associate Director of Business Development and as the Associate Director of the Office of Cooperative Research between 2018 and 2023.
Experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Grassie has significant experience in the pharmaceutical sector, having worked at Organon in various capacities from 1998 to 2006. Her roles included Research Scientist, Global Project Leader, and Section Head, Project Leader. This background has equipped her with expertise in preclinical drug discovery, target discovery, assay development, target validation, and translation medicine.
Educational Background
Grassie earned her PhD in Virology from the University of Glasgow, where she studied from 1988 to 1992. Prior to that, she obtained a BSc (Hons) in Molecular Biology from the same institution, completing her studies from 1984 to 1988. Her educational background provides a strong foundation for her work in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry.
Entrepreneurial Ventures
In addition to her academic and industry roles, Grassie developed a retail business that supports local artists and provides a marketplace for small, predominantly women-owned businesses. This initiative reflects her commitment to community engagement and economic development.