Markus Herrgård

Chief Technology Officer, BioInnovation Institute

Dr. Markus Herrgård is Chief Technology Officer at the BioInnovation Institute (BII) in Copenhagen. BII is a non-profit foundation with the vision to support world-class life science innovation for the benefit of people and society. BII operates an incubator and has an active portfolio of over 70 startups and company creation projects in human and planetary health.

Markus has a broad background at the life science and engineering interface focusing on data science. After studying quantum engineering in Finland, he obtained his PhD in Bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego. Markus then joined the pioneering San Diego-based start-up, Synthetic Genomics, to develop and apply genomics and genome writing technologies. Later he moved to Denmark to build up the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability – a world-leading research center focusing on solving sustainability problems using biotechnology. Markus joined BII in 2020 and is responsible for BII’s science and technology strategy, early research scouting program, infrastructure platforms, and digital initiatives. He has published over 80 papers in synthetic/systems biology and data science.

In his free time, Markus enjoys travelling, skiing, mountain biking and hiking.