Board of Directors

Noubar Afeyan, PhD
Founder, Chairman

Dr. Afeyan is Managing Partner and CEO of Flagship Ventures, a firm that manages over $900 million in early-stage funds across the sectors of Therapeutics, Health Technologies and Sustainability/Clean Technology. A technologist, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Dr. Afeyan has co-founded and helped build over 25 successful life science and technology start-ups during the past two decades. In addition to Joule, he is a director and co-founder of Flagship portfolio companies Affinnova, BG Medicine, Ensemble Therapeutics, LS9, Midori, Moderna Therapeutics and Pronutria. Previously he was a member of the founding team, director and investor in several successful ventures including Chemgenics Pharmaceuticals, Color Kinetics, Antigenics, EXACT Sciences and Adnexus Therapeutics.

Graham Allison, PhD
Board Member

Dr. Allison is Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, and a leading analyst of US national security and defense policy. As Assistant Secretary of Defense in the first Clinton Administration, Dr. Allison received the Defense Department's highest civilian award, the Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, for "reshaping relations with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan to reduce the former Soviet nuclear arsenal." He was also Special Advisor to the Secretary of Defense under President Reagan. Dr. Allison has served as a Director of the Getty Oil Company, Natixis, Loomis Sayles, Hansberger, Taubman Centers, Inc., and Belco Oil and Gas, as well as a member of the Advisory Boards of Chase Bank, Chemical Bank, Hydro-Quebec, and the International Energy Corporation.

David Berry, MD, PhD
Founder, Board Member

Dr. Berry is a Partner at Flagship Ventures, where he focuses on investing in and founding early-stage life science and cleantech ventures. Prior to starting Joule, he co-founded and helped launch LS9. Dr. Berry’s work has led to 11 peer-reviewed publications, over 50 patents and applications, as well as over 25 awards and honors including the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize in 2005 for invention and innovation. Dr. Berry was also named Innovator of the Year by Technology Review in its 2007 TR35 list of the world’s top 35 innovators under the age of 35.

Anatoly Chubais
Board Member

Mr. Chubais is chairman and CEO of RUSNANO, a $10 billion Russian Federation-owned fund created to drive commercialization in the areas of nanotech, biotech and renewable energy, among others. Prior to joining RUSNANO, Mr. Chubais held numerous influential roles both in business and government, including chairman of Unified Energy System (RAO UES); Russia's privatized electric power holding, and as Minister of Finance, First Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Chief-of-Staff under Boris Yeltsin. He is credited for playing a key role in Russia's transformation to a market-based economy.

Caroline Dorsa
Board Member

Ms. Dorsa is Executive Vice President and CFO of Public Service Enterprise Group (NYSE: PEG), a publicly traded diversified energy company with annual revenues of more than $11 billion. She previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Human Health, Strategy and Integration at Merck & Co., where she spent more than 20 years in various financial positions, including Vice President and Treasurer. She also held the role of Senior Vice President and CFO at Avaya, Inc., during which time she supported the company throught its acquisition by private equity. Earlier in her career, Ms. Dorsa worked for Mayor Ed Koch of the City of New York promoting economic development in midtown Manhattan. In addition to her board role at Joule, she currently serves on the board of Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB).

Stelios Papadopoulos, PhD
Board Member

Dr. Papadopoulos is co-founder and chairman of Exelixis, a development-stage biotech company focused on novel small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. He retired as Vice Chairman of Cowen & Co. in August 2006 after six years as an investment banker with the firm, where he focused on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. Prior to joining Cowen & Co., Dr. Papadopoulos spent 13 years as an investment banker at PaineWebber, where he was most recently Chairman of PaineWebber Development Corp., a subsidiary focusing on biotechnology. In addition to Joule, he is a co-founder and board member of Anadys Pharmaceuticals and Cellzome, and also serves on the boards of BG Medicine, Regulus Therapeutics and Biogen Idec.

John Podesta
Board Member

Mr. Podesta's accomplished career on Capitol Hill spans 30 years. He is currently President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a "think tank" organization that he founded in 2003 to help develop and advocate for progressive policy. He was previously White House Chief of Staff to President Clinton, serving in the president's cabinet and as a principal on the National Security Council. Most recently, Mr. Podesta served as co-chair of President Obama's transition, where he coordinated the priorities of the incoming administration's agenda, oversaw the development of its policies, and spearheaded its appointments of major cabinet secretaries and political appointees.

William J. Sims
President and CEO, Board Member

Mr. Sims is a proven leader with 30 years experience growing both emerging and established companies, including the successful commercialization of breakthrough technologies within numerous consumer and B-to-B industries. Prior to Joule he was CEO of Color Kinetics, the company largely credited for triggering the lighting industry's historic shift towards energy-efficienty LED technology. In the consumer electronics space, he led multiple groups within JVC to market and product line expansion, and led Zenith Sales Company's overhaul and ultimate sale to LG Electronics. He also achieved success in the software industry leading a division of e-SIM, a provider of advanced simulation technologies for cutting-edge consumer applications. In addition to Joule, he serves on the boards of Lumenpulse and Pronutria.

Ruben Vardanian
Board Member

Mr. Vardanian is the co-Head of Sberbank CIB, and was formerly Chairman of Troika Dialog until its merger with Sberbank in January 2012. He has played a prominent role in Russia's fledgling capital markets, and previously established Troika as the pre-eminent local investment bank in Russia and other major CIS countries. Mr. Vardanian is Chairman or board member of numerous organizations, including OJSC Rosgosstrakh (the major insurance player in the Russian market), AmeriaBank (the leading bank in Armenia), OJSC AvtoVAZ (the largest car manufacturer in Eastern Europe), OJSC KAMAZ (the largest truck manufacturer in Eastern Europe), OJSC NOVATEK (the largest independent gas producer in Russia), and CJSC SIBUR Holding (the leader of petrochemistry in Russia and Eastern Europe.