James G. Burns, PhD
James’ early career was spent working as a wildlife biologist in Western Canada and the arctic, while also taking time off to backpack the world whenever he had the chance. He moved on to do his PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Toronto, followed by a two-year post-doctoral fellowship with the CNRS in France. Looking for challenges outside of lab-based academia, he returned to Canada for two years as a research and policy analyst with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research before taking the leap into industry as a Medical Science Liaison in Neuroscience with Shire 2012. That led to a Medical Advisor role in Ophthalmology in 2017, and eventually a move to Novartis working in Clinical Development and Medical Affairs in 2019. James likes hanging out with his wife and kids, riding and racing his bike, learning about urban design, and building stuff.