# Michael Ehlers

> Michael D. Ehlers is a Boston-based scientist, executive and company founder. Ascidian Therapeutics’ founding CEO and continuing board chair, he became chief scientific officer and head of research and development at Formation Bio in July 2026. His career includes an endowed professorship at Duke, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigatorship, research leadership at Pfizer and Biogen, and venture roles at Apple Tree Partners and MPM BioImpact.

- **Role:** Founder and Chair of the Board at Ascidian Therapeutics; Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research & Development at Formation Bio
- **Organizations:** Ascidian Therapeutics, Formation Bio, MPM BioImpact (former Entrepreneur Partner), Apple Tree Partners (former Chief Scientific Officer and Partner), Biogen (former Executive Vice President, R&D), Pfizer (former Group Senior Vice President and Neuroscience Chief Scientific Officer), Duke University (former professor), Howard Hughes Medical Institute (former investigator), Aulos Bioscience, Replicate Bioscience
- **Education:** BS in Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, MD and PhD; doctoral work in neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- **Known for:** Selected as one of 43 new HHMI investigators in the 2005 national competition., Recipient of the 2003 Eppendorf & Science Prize in Neurobiology., Recipient of the 2007 John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology and the 2007 Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award.

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Graduated from Caltech with a BS in chemistry.
- **1991-1998** — Studied at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, earning MD and PhD degrees; Richard L. Huganir was his doctoral adviser.
- **2003** — Received the Eppendorf & Science Prize in Neurobiology.
- **2005** — Named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator while an associate professor at Duke.
- **2007** — Received the John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology and Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award.
- **2010** — Left Duke, where he held the George Barth Geller Professorship of Neurobiology, to join Pfizer.
- **2016** — Joined Biogen as Executive Vice President, Research and Development; published Lessons from a Recovering Academic in Cell.
- **2019** — Joined Apple Tree Partners as Chief Scientific Officer and Venture Partner, with an October 21 effective date; also appointed CEO of Limelight Bio.
- **2022-10** — Ascidian publicly launched with $50 million in Series A financing. Its founding CEO and incubation leader Ehlers became chair as Romesh Subramanian became CEO.
- **2023-11** — Returned to Ascidian as interim President and CEO on November 8, alongside a $40 million Series A extension commitment from ATP.
- **2024-11** — MPM BioImpact announced his appointment as Entrepreneur Partner on November 14; he continued as Ascidian President and CEO.
- **2026-07** — Ascidian announced on July 21 that he had stepped down as President and CEO and would continue as board chair. Formation Bio announced him as CSO and Head of R&D on July 22.

## Achievements

- Selected as one of 43 new HHMI investigators in the 2005 national competition.
- Recipient of the 2003 Eppendorf & Science Prize in Neurobiology.
- Recipient of the 2007 John J. Abel Award in Pharmacology and the 2007 Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award.
- Had authored more than 100 scientific papers by Biogen’s April 2016 appointment announcement.
- Led Ascidian’s incubation as founding CEO.
- Formation Bio’s July 2026 announcement credited him with founding four companies during his Apple Tree Partners tenure.
- Named to the 2024 PharmaVoice 100, as announced by Ascidian.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — July 22: appointed Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research & Development at Formation Bio, joining from MPM BioImpact.
- **2026-07** — July 21: stepped down as Ascidian President and CEO and continued as board chair; Daniel Rosan became President.
- **2024-11** — MPM BioImpact announced his appointment as Entrepreneur Partner; he retained his Ascidian executive role at that time.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-ehlers-52a87616

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-ehlers
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26