William H. Koster, PhD

Vice Chairman

William H. Koster, PhD, is the President and CEO of Northern Pilot Co., LLC, a firm providing guidance to the pharmaceutical industry in the areas of R&D analysis, design and implementation, portfolio management, and strategic business development. He began his career at The Squibb Institute for Medical Research in antibiotic research. His work contributed to the discovery of the antibiotic, Azactam, for which he received the Thomas Alva Edison Award from the R&D Council of New Jersey in 1992. William’s career at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) spanned chemistry, biology, and technology operations ultimately leading to his position as senior vice-president overseeing worldwide drug discovery and early clinical development through Phase IIa. He also led the R&D acquisition and integration effort for the purchase of the DuPont Pharmaceutical Company by BMS in 2001. After 30 years with the BMS organization, in 2001 he accepted the position of President and CEO of Neurogen Corporation, a public biotech company (NASDAQ: NRGN) engaged in neuroscience R&D, a position he held until his retirement in 2008. William holds 30 US Patents and is the author of numerous scientific publications and presentations. He was elected to the Connecticut Academy of Sciences and Engineering (now emeritus) and has served on various scientific advisory forums including the Keystone Symposia Scientific Advisory Board and The National Council for Harvard Medicine. In addition, he has served on the board of directors for Neurogen Corporation, Cadus Pharmaceutical Corporation, Mnemosyne Pharmaceuticals, Cadent Therapeutics, and VedantraPharmaceuticals (Chairman). He is currently serving as Chairman of the Board for eXIthera Pharmaceuticals and for OcuTerra Therapeutics. William majored in chemistry at Colby College (1966) and then completed his PhD in organic chemistry at Tufts University in 1972.