Director, Venture Science
Kristina E. Kitko, Ph.D., is director of venture science at Eli Lilly. She focuses on the U.S. West Coast as part of the company’s larger corporate business development efforts, primarily targeting early stage innovation across Lilly’s five core therapeutic areas. Kristina’s role supports Lilly’s multiple external venture investments in both funds (over $2 billion) and companies globally, as well as due diligence and search and evaluation initiatives. She works on deals across multiple modalities and therapeutic areas for Lilly. Kristina comes from an operational background within biotech. Prior to Lilly, she worked in corporate strategy at Crinetics Pharmaceuticals and in venture creation at Flagship Pioneering and as an independent consultant. Kristina completed her Ph.D. in pharmacology and electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University as an NSF IGERT fellow, and her postdoctoral training in brain and cognitive sciences across MIT and Harvard.