Nick Plugis

Nick Plugis is a Senior Principal at Flagship Pioneering, a prominent biotech venture creation and investment firm.2 He works on a venture-creation team to found and grow companies based on innovative biological concepts and emerging technologies.2

Professional Background

Nick joined Flagship Pioneering after completing the company's Fellows Program.3 His work at Flagship has led to the creation of several groundbreaking biotech companies, including:

• Ring Therapeutics: Focused on revolutionizing gene therapy using a commensal virome platform1
• Cellarity: Designing medicines targeting cell behavior rather than single molecular targets1
• Laronde: Pioneering endless RNA (eRNA™), a new class of programmable medicines1

Previously, Nick served as the Chief Innovation Officer at Cellarity, where he created and led the company's Drug Design Studio. This initiative combined systems biology, single-cell technologies, and machine learning to develop new cell-centric chemical design capabilities.1

Education and Achievements

Nick holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University, where he worked with Chaitan Khosla as part of the ChEM-H innovation hub.1 His research focused on building and using chemical biology tools to investigate the molecular pathophysiology of celiac disease.1 He also completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business's Ignite Program.1

For his undergraduate studies, Nick earned a B.A. in Chemistry and Economics from Middlebury College.1

Nick's innovative work has resulted in multiple patents and publications.1 In 2021, he was recognized in Business Insider's list of 12 serial entrepreneurs building the next generation of biotech startups.1

Current Role and Impact

As a Senior Principal at Flagship Pioneering, Nick continues to play a crucial role in the creation and development of cutting-edge biotech companies. His expertise spans various fields, including synthetic biology, chemical biology, and the application of AI in drug discovery.14