Ralph E. (Chris) Christoffersen

Chris Christoffersen was a valuable member of the BioFrontiers Institute's Advisory Board from when it was first formed in 2010 to support the transition from the institute's forerunner (Colorado Initiative for Molecular Biotechnology) into a full-fledged institute until his passing in 2025. His wisdom, insight, and advice were pivotal in the growth and success of BioFrontiers during this 15-year period. He was also a treasured friend of many BioFrontiers Institute members who fondly remember and deeply miss him. To learn more about Chris' life and impact, you can read his obituary here.

Chris served on several corporate boards, including Tragara Pharmaceuticals, Asterand Corp., Elcelyx, Nimbus Pharmaceuticals, Catalyst Biosciences, Galleon Pharmaceuticals, GlobeImmune, Stemgent, and OptiScan. He achieved successful exits with Avidia, Morphotech, Threshold, Scioderm and Nimbus. He also served as the President and CEO of Ribozyme; Senior Vice President, Research at SmithKline Beecham; Vice President, Discovery Research at Upjohn and President, Colorado State University. He received the "Outstanding Research of  theYear" Award from the International Society of Quantum Biology, the "W. E. Upjohn Award" for contributions in biotechnology and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Biosciences Association. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Cornell University, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Indiana University and an Honorary J.D. from Cornell College.