Alicia Löffler, PhD, is the co-founder and CEO of ENCUE Inc., a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of drugs for people suffering from cognitive disorders; she is also a faculty member at the Kellogg School of Management. Before this position, Dr. Löffler served as Northwestern’s Associate Provost for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, founding Executive Director of the Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO), and Associate Vice President for Research. Before INVO, she served as Founding Director of the Kellogg Center for Biotechnology. At INVO, Dr. Löffler oversaw translational, transactional, and commercialization activities. Dr. Löffler fundraised and launched several programs, including The N.XT Venture Fund and NUseeds venture fund, and for the creation of two incubators – The Garage, a tech incubation space for students, and the InQbation Lab, an incubator space for deep science technologies. She also established multiple partnerships with venture firms, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies. Dr. Löffler served as an advisor on numerous profit and non-profit boards for biotech/medical device organizations, including the Biotechnology Institute, Washington DC, the Biopharmaceutical Center at the WHU in Koblenz, the Midwest Heart Foundation, BiotechLogic, and multiple biotech spinouts. She also served as a board member and past chair for the Council for Biotechnology Centers (BIO) and a board member of Emerging Companies in the biotechnology industry: Baird Ventures Partners Fund II, the Illinois Growth Innovation Fund (IGIF), and Agent Capital. Dr. Löffler received a BS from the University of Minnesota, a PhD from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and post-doctoral training at Caltech. Crain’s Chicago Business named her one of the Tech 100 stars.
I am honored to serve as a Board Member at WIB, an organization transforming bio leadership—one in which women and men share equal opportunities and build complete and effective leaders. Through mentorship and networking at all stages in the career, WIB helps open doors to new directions, inspiring and motivating future leaders in bio.
– WIB Board Member, Alicia Löffler
