The CIRM CEO Search: Job Interviews Likely Next Week at the Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Agency

Possible final decision by the end of next month

Cover of the CIRM CEO recruitment brochure

The search for a new CEO for California’s $12 billion stem cell and gene therapy research program appears to be nearing a close while the enterprise is also wrestling with new priorities that are likely to affect whether it lives or dies in the years ahead.

The stem cell agency—officially known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)—has scheduled four closed-door sessions, almost back-to-back. They begin on Friday with a scheduled 65-minute session of its presidential search committee. 

Then, on May 28, May 29, and May 31, the committee is scheduled to meet again—also in executive session—for two hours and five minutes each day. Those are likely interview sessions with candidates for the job of chief executive officer and president of CIRM, which carries an annual salary range of $439,810 to $650,960.

Names of possible candidates have not surfaced publicly. LinkedIn reported earlier this year that hundreds of persons had applied, but that is likely not a reliable figure because of the vague way LinkedIn defines applicants. In response to a query, CIRM has declined to disclose the specific number of candidates who filed applications by the March 29 deadline. “More than 100” was the number cited by the search committee before the deadline.