Accelerating Serendipity in Research Organizations

Pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other research-driven companies generate breakthroughs through collective efforts of their scientific staff. Given the importance of knowledge sharing, collaboration and serendipitous interactions among researchers, these companies represent prime candidates for the application of social software. This session will explore how leading research companies are using social tools.

As Director of Science Computing, Clarence Wang is responsible for guiding the application of computing technologies to drug discovery and life sciences research at Genzyme.  Following completion of his Ph.D. in Bio-organic Chemistry at Cornell University, Clarence transitioned out of the laboratory to focus on modeling and informatics.  He now manages a variety of computing activities at Genzyme, including cheminformatics, bioinformatics, and research IT.

One of the world's leading biotechnology companies, Genzyme is dedicated to making a major positive impact on the lives of people with serious diseases. Since 1981, the company has grown from a small start-up to a diversified enterprise with more than 11,000 employees in locations spanning the globe and 2008 revenues of $4.6 billion. In 2007, Genzyme was chosen to receive the National Medal of Technology, the highest honor awarded by the President of the United States for technological innovation.

With many established products and services helping patients in nearly 100 countries, Genzyme is a leader in the effort to develop and apply the most advanced technologies in the life sciences. The company's products and services are focused on rare inherited disorders, kidney disease, orthopaedics, cancer, transplant and immune disease, and diagnostic testing. Genzyme's commitment to innovation continues today with a substantial development program focused on these fields, as well as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and other areas of unmet medical need.

Mikhail Shapiro is co-founder and chief scientist at Epernicus. Mikhail received his PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT, where he conducted studies on novel brain imaging agents, and was previously a co-founder of Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems. In addition to his role in Epernicus, Mikhail serves as a Senior Associate at Third Rock Ventures, a venture capital fund dedicated to building breakthrough companies in the life sciences.

Epernicus is a leading provider of social networking technology for research-focused companies and institutions. We pride ourselves on our deep understanding of and commitment to the world of research and our ability to build world-class web applications to make this world more productive and fun. Our customers include leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology medical device and academic institutions, such as Genzyme and GSK, where thousands of researchers are discovering better ways to work with colleagues. We also operate a public network for scientists, Epernicus.com, which has become a leading science-specific social network among researchers at top academic institutions worldwide.