Robert Yamulla

About Robert Yamulla

I’m a marketing strategist and leader with a PhD in Cancer Biology, an MBA, and a passion for making complex science accessible, actionable, and impactful. At Illumina, I’ve led initiatives that reshaped how we engage with researchers, from building award-winning campaigns like New to NGS to launching global strategies for single-cell, spatial, cancer research, liquid biopsy, and multiomic applications. These initiatives are built upon my foundational scientific training and peer-reviewed publication record in stem cell biology, cancer research, CRISPR/Cas9, spatial profiling, disease modeling, and genomics. I specialize in customer-centric marketing rooted in research, data, and cross-functional collaboration. My work has helped define Illumina’s full-funnel marketing model, unite global and regional teams, and drive commercial success across the Americas and beyond.Whether it’s driving a product launch, refining go-to-market messaging, or collaborating with R&D and Sales to solve real-world challenges, I bring energy, strategic clarity, and a commitment to results. My goal is always the same: help scientists do more, discover faster, and reach further.

Experience

1. Global Genomic Access Marketing Lead, Bioinsights

   Illumina

   Jun 2025 — Present

   Direct and fully develop the commercialization and marketing strategy for Illumina’s newly formed genomic access business development unit, focusing on pharmaceutical R&D and Large National Genomic Initiatives (LNGIs). These efforts involve deep integration with ongoing and novel high-impact multi-year projects such as the Alliance for Genomic Discovery (partnership with 8+ major pharma firms), PRECISE, UK Biobank, and more. • Created Illumina’s first-ever lead funnel and nurture strategy for rare, high-revenue business development opportunities. • Develop first-of-its-kind internal segmentation strategy for pharma, generating distinct commercial strategies with integrated sales training and pharma-targeted sales enablement content. • Fully responsible for Illumina’s business development presence at key global events such as GA4GH, IPHS, ASHG, and others. • Serve as a subject matter expert for complex single-cell, spatial, methyl-seq, RNA-seq, liquid biopsy, proteomics, and multiomics strategies to enable pharma and government partner projects.

Education

• Franklin & Marshall College

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), Biology

  2010 — 2014

• Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management

  Master of Business Administration - MBA

  2020 — 2021

• Cornell University

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Biochemistry, Molecular biology, and Cell Biology

  2014 — 2020

Skills

• Protein Expression
• Research Publication
• Gst Pulldown
• Wnt Signaling
• Microscopy
• Teaching
• Immunoprecipitation
• Video Editing
• Pull Down Assay
• Cell Culture
• Gel Electrophoresis
• Antibody Staining
• Pcr
• Event Planning
• Protein Purification
• Molecular & Cellular Biology
• Research
• Fluorescence Microscopy
• Public Speaking
• Drosophila
• Immunofluorescence
• Iwork
• Microsoft Excel
• Western Blotting