Rick Bright is an international expert on pandemic preparedness and response.  As the Chief Executive Officer of the Pandemic Prevention Institute at The Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Bright led the development of the Foundation’s pandemic data-to-action platform that integrates modern technology, data analytics and global partners to help the world detect, prevent, and mitigate pandemic threats to achieve containment as quickly as possible.

Prior to this role, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and the Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, he directed public-private partnerships that led to the FDA approval of over 60 new vaccines, drugs and diagnostics for public health and national security threats. During his tenure at BARDA, he launched CARB-X, the world’s largest public-private partnership to accelerate development of novel antibiotics, antifungals and diagnostics to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). He also launched DRIVe, the Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures (which led to the establishment of the first government-led venture fund (BARDA Ventures) for national health security. He launched the RADx-ATP program as part of the NIH to accelerate the development and scale of diagnostics to address the COVID-19 pandemic and he laid the first outline and strategic concept for what became Operation Warp Speed to accelerate the development of vaccines for the COVID pandemic.  Dr. Bright has extensive experience in the biotechnology industry where he served in senior leadership and executive management roles. He has held senior scientific leadership positions in non-governmental organizations where he championed innovative vaccine development and expanded vaccine manufacturing capacity to multiple developing countries. He also spent a decade in vaccine, therapeutics, and diagnostics development at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For this work, Dr. Bright received the Charles C. Shepard Science Award for Scientific Excellence.

Dr. Bright serves as an international subject matter expert in biodefense, emergency preparedness and response, pharmaceutical innovation, vaccine, drug and diagnostic development and served as an advisor to the Biden Administration, World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats.  Dr. Bright serves as an advisor to numerous public and private organizations, venture funds and financial investment groups, is an Executive Board Member for the NY Academy of Sciences International Science Reserve, is on the board of directors of FIND Dx, a member of the Science and Technical Advisory Board of the 100 Day Mission, the scientific advisory board of Qiagen, a Sr. Fellow at the Foreign Policy Association, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Dr. Bright received a Ph.D. in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis from Emory University and a B.S. magna cum laude in Biology and Physical Sciences from Auburn University at Montgomery.