Biotechnology Heritage Award
Arthur Levinson
2010 Biotechnology Heritage Award
Arthur D. Levinson
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) selected Arthur D. Levinson as the winner of the 2010 Biotechnology Heritage Award. The award was presented during BIO’s annual international convention, held in Chicago from May 3–6, 2010.
Arthur D. Levinson is chairman of Genentech. Levinson joined Genentech in 1980 as a research scientist. He became vice president of research technology in 1989, vice president of research in 1990, senior vice president of research in 1992, and senior vice president of R&D in 1993. He served as CEO of Genentech from 1995 to 2009. He has been chairman of Genentech since 1999.
Levinson is a director of Apple and of NGM Biopharmaceuticals. He also serves on the Board of Scientific Consultants of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, on the Industrial Advisory Board of the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research, on the Advisory Council for the Princeton University Department of Molecular Biology, on the Advisory Council for the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, and on the Executive Council of TechNet.
Levinson has authored or coauthored more than 80 scientific articles and has been a named inventor on 11 U.S. patents. He has received numerous awards, including the Irvington Institute's Corporate Leadership Award in Science, the Corporate Leadership Award from the National Breast Cancer Coalition, and Princeton University’s James Madison Medal for a distinguished career in scientific research and in biotechnology.
Business Week named Levinson one of the Best Managers of the Year in 2004 and 2005, and Institutional Investor named him America’s Best CEO in the biotech category four years in a row (2004–2007). In 2008 Levinson was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Levinson received a B.S. in molecular biology from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in biochemical sciences from Princeton University.
About the Biotechnology Heritage Award
The Biotechnology Heritage Award is presented yearly at a special ceremony during the BIO Annual International Convention to honor individuals who have contributed significantly to the growth of biotechnology through discovery, innovation, commercialization, and/or public understanding. In honoring these individuals, the Chemical Heritage Foundation and the Biotechnology Industry Organization seek to encourage emulation, inspire achievement, and promote public understanding of modern science, industry, and economics in this rapid-growth area.
The cosponsorship of the award complements the mission of both organizations by advancing their mutual goals of educating the public, nourishing a sense of pride and community within the industry, and developing the record of the remarkable contributions the molecular sciences make to our lives.
About the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial, and environmental biotechnology products.
About the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF)
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) fosters an understanding of chemistry’s impact on society. An independent nonprofit organization, we strive to
- Inspire a passion for chemistry;
- Highlight chemistry’s role in meeting current social challenges; and
- Preserve the story of chemistry across centuries.
CHF maintains major collections of instruments, fine art, photographs, papers, and books. We host conferences and lectures, support research, offer fellowships, and produce educational materials. Our museum and public programs explore subjects ranging from alchemy to nanotechnology.