Christopher Mortko, PhD, MBA

Dr. Christopher Mortko is an Associate 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.