Christopher Mortko, PhD, MBA

Dr. Christopher Mortko is a Vice President and Head of Search and Evaluation in the Business Development and Licensing organization at Merck. In this role, Dr. Mortko leads a team responsible for the research, scientific evaluation, and due diligence of clinical-stage research and development opportunities across all therapeutic areas and enabling technologies. He is a key member of Merck’s Business Development governance committee, which is responsible for decision making and deal structure/terms for business development opportunities.

Prior to joining Merck, Dr. Mortko was a Senior Biotechnology Equity Analyst on Wall Street, where he focused on oncology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. Earlier in his career, he was a research scientist at Merck and Amgen, where he was involved in drug discovery and development across a number of therapeutic areas, including oncology.

Dr. Mortko completed his undergraduate education at Fordham University in New York. He received a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed an MBA at the New York University Stern School of Business.