# Brian O'Callaghan

> Brian O’Callaghan is the CEO and a board member of Deep Genomics, where he was hired in 2023 to help turn a research-led AI company into an integrated drug-development business. His career spans more than three decades across large pharmaceutical companies, contract research and a succession of public and private biotechs, including CEO roles at BioPartners, Sangart, Acucela, Petra Pharma and ObsEva.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Board Member at Deep Genomics
- **Organizations:** Deep Genomics, ObsEva, Petra Pharma, Acucela, Sangart, BioPartners, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Covance, Novartis, Merck Serono, Pfizer, Bayer
- **Education:** Master of Business Administration, Henley Business School, University of Reading, Marketing Diploma, Marketing Institute of Ireland
- **Known for:** Built more than 30 years of leadership experience across biotech, pharmaceutical and clinical research organizations., Held CEO roles at BioPartners, Sangart, Acucela, Petra Pharma, ObsEva and Deep Genomics., Led Deep Genomics as it expanded from a single flagship model toward a multi-model RNA foundation-model platform.

## Career timeline

- **1990** — Began the large-pharma phase of his career; subsequent roles included Bayer, Pfizer, Merck Serono and Novartis.
- **2000-2004** — Co-founded and served as president and CEO of Switzerland-based BioPartners.
- **2007** — Joined NPS Pharmaceuticals as senior vice president and chief commercial officer after serving as a general manager at Covance.
- **2008-2014** — Served as president and CEO of Sangart.
- **2015** — Served as president and CEO of Acucela.
- **2017-2020** — Led Petra Pharma as president and CEO.
- **2020-2023** — Served as CEO of ObsEva.
- **2023-present** — Appointed CEO and board member of Deep Genomics, paired with founder Brendan Frey as chief innovation officer.
- **2024** — Oversaw an operational expansion that included a new Cambridge, Massachusetts office and lab, a larger Toronto presence and several executive hires.
- **2025** — Deep Genomics expanded its RNA foundation-model platform, and O’Callaghan received a Gold Stevie Award as Biotech Executive of the Year.

## Achievements

- Built more than 30 years of leadership experience across biotech, pharmaceutical and clinical research organizations.
- Held CEO roles at BioPartners, Sangart, Acucela, Petra Pharma, ObsEva and Deep Genomics.
- Led Deep Genomics as it expanded from a single flagship model toward a multi-model RNA foundation-model platform.
- Oversaw the opening of a Cambridge, Massachusetts lab and office, the expansion of the Toronto headquarters and the recruitment of senior scientific and business leaders.
- Named Biotech Executive of the Year in the 2025 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Deep Genomics added Thong Q. Le and Paul Sekhri to its board; O’Callaghan said their experience would support the company’s work toward AI-powered genetic medicines.
- **2025-08** — O’Callaghan was announced as the Gold Stevie Award recipient for Biotech Executive of the Year in the 2025 Technology Excellence program.
- **2025-05** — Deep Genomics added REPRESS, a model for predicting microRNA binding and mRNA degradation, to its foundation-model platform.
- **2025-04** — Deep Genomics appointed two platform vice presidents to strengthen genomic technology, biological data generation and therapeutic discovery.
- **2024-06** — Deep Genomics opened a Cambridge lab and office, expanded in Toronto and announced senior hires across technology, science, machine learning and business development.

## Links

- Website: https://www.deepgenomics.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-o-callaghan-43459a16

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-ocallaghan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-27