Joan Lau has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership and business development for biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and R&D-focused companies. Dr. Lau is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Spirovant (previously called Talee Bio), a gene therapy company developing treatments and cures for respiratory diseases including cystic fibrosis. Dr. Lau is also an Adjunct Professor and Trustee at the University of Pennsylvania.

Previously, Dr. Lau co-founded and served as Managing Partner at Militia Hill Ventures, which focuses on building and growing high-quality life science companies. Dr. Lau has also served as CEO for several venture-capital-backed biotech companies.

Dr. Lau earned her MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and her BS in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lau also serves on the boards for Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE: BDN) and Rockwell Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: RMTI).