Justin Stege

About Justin Stege

Versatile biotechnology leader with over 20 years of experience in biotechnology, spanning startups to large technology programs within Fortune 50 companies. Expertise in managing $10M+ budgets, leading cross-functional teams of 20+, and indirect leadership of 35-person programs. Skilled in program/alliance management, drug discovery, development, and manufacturing. Proven fundraising ability - over $25M in venture funding and $20M in grant awards. Strong track record in delivering results, including $2M in milestones, discovery of of new molecules, 15+ patent filings, and progression of two R&D programs into commercialization.Technical Skills: GMP manufacturing, gene editing, high-throughput screening, bioinformatics, computational biology, LIMS, biochemistry, fermentation, synthetic biology, molecular evolution, process development, drug discovery, drug development, analytical science, and multi-omics.Management Skills: Project/program management, site leadership, project finance, fundraising, portfolio analysis, cross-functional team leadership, alliance management, regulatory submissions, risk management, clinical trials management, deal diligence, mergers, acquisitions, post-merger integrations, and diversity and inclusion initiativesSoft Skills: Strategic planning, mentoring, stakeholder engagement, public speaking, situational leadership, influencing, and fostering inclusive team environments.

Experience

1. Senior Vice President Business Operations & Strategy

   Aardvark Therapeutics

   Jan 2025 — Present · San Diego County, CA, US

   Lead business operations, strategic planning, and portfolio governance to ensure disciplined execution of corporate and clinical milestones. Built and scaled program management and IT governance frameworks to strengthen operational rigor, compliance, and long-term growth.

Education

• Harvey Mudd College

  BS

• UC San Diego

  PhD

• Los Alamos High School

  High School

Skills

• R&D
• High Throughput Screening
• Fungal
• Agribusiness
• Bioinformatics
• Transcriptomics
• Bioprocessing
• Design of Experiments
• Biotechnology
• Protein Purification
• Statistics
• Analytical Chemistry
• Fermentation
• Intellectual Asset Management
• Biocatalysis
• Collaboration
• Pretreatment
• Biomass Conversion
• Protein Chemistry
• Strain Development
• Ngs
• Technology Transfer
• Project Management
• Systems Biology
• Metabolic Engineering
• Software Development
• Molecular Evolution
• Laboratory Automation
• Proteomics
• Metagenomics
• Synthetic Biology
• Technology Management
• Life Sciences
• Biofuels
• Lifesciences
• Computational Biology
• Directed Evolution
• Biochemistry
• Portfolio Management
• Molecular Biology