SAN
DIEGO, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), a global leader in DNA sequencing and
array-based technologies, today announced Dr. Steven Barnard, Illumina's Vice President and
Head of Global Advanced Science, will serve as its next Chief
Technology Officer (CTO), effective immediately. Dr. Alex Aravanis, who held the position of CTO,
will be departing Illumina to pursue another opportunity outside of
the company.
Dr. Barnard joined Illumina in 1998 as the company's first
scientist and fourth employee, holding a variety of leadership
positions within Illumina's R&D organization throughout his
distinguished 25-year tenure. Through critical roles in research
and technology development, Barnard contributed significantly to
maturing Illumina's foundational science technologies including
synthetic chemistry, protein engineering, surface science, assay
research and nanofabrication. He holds more than 100 patents
globally and has been published in diverse, industry-leading
scientific journals, such as Analytical Chemistry,
Nature, Science, and Genome Research, to name
a few.
As Vice President and Head of Global Advanced Science, Dr.
Barnard played an integral role in advancing Illumina's
industry-leading products, including the launch of the
revolutionary NovaSeq X series. His profound understanding of
Illumina's core technologies will allow him to step into this role
and continue to improve R&D productivity and efficiency, as
well as drive shareholder value.
"Steve is the consummate innovator, leading many of Illumina's
most important technical development projects over the last 25
years. He brings expansive institutional knowledge of our entire
technology portfolio and will help Illumina continue to deliver on
its important mission," said Charles
Dadswell, Interim Chief Executive Officer at Illumina. "I'd
also like to thank Alex for his leadership, advancing our
industry-leading innovations, and wish him every success in the
future."
Barnard earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Tufts University under the mentorship of Illumina's
scientific founder, Dr. David Walt,
and holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Connecticut College.
"I am incredibly honored and excited to assume this new role at
Illumina," Dr. Barnard said. "I have seen firsthand what the
dedicated people of Illumina can do to further our mission to
improve human health and save lives. I'm thrilled to continue to
work beside them in this new role as we continue to focus on our
core technologies to unlock the power of the genome."
On top of his countless scientific accomplishments, Barnard was
instrumental in originating the iHope Program, launched by Illumina
in partnership with Rady Children's Hospital to make clinical
whole-genome sequencing accessible to children facing rare and
undiagnosed genetic diseases.
About Illumina
Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the
genome. In 2023 we celebrate 25 years of innovation, which has
established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based
technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and
applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life
sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other
emerging segments. To learn more, visit illumina.com and
connect with us on X
(Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok,
and YouTube.
Investors:
Salli Schwartz
858.291.6421
IR@illumina.com
Media:
David McAlpine
347.327.1336
PR@illumina.com
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SOURCE Illumina, Inc.