Thomas Chalberg

An accomplished biotechnology executive and entrepreneur, Thomas Chalberg is the founder and former chief executive officer of Avalanche Biotechnologies, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company based in Silicon Valley. Committed to improving the eyesight of people with major eye disorders, Avalanche Biotechnologies has been recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum and has been honored by the Foundation Fighting Blindness. As the organizational leader of the company, Thomas Chalberg spearheaded the development of an AAV-based gene delivery technology known as BioFactory, which promotes the expression of an important therapeutic protein.

Before founding Avalanche in 2006, Thomas Chalberg earned his PhD in genetics from the Stanford University School of Medicine. After completing his doctoral studies, he joined Genentech, where he held a number of positions in the ophthalmology and oncology commercial teams. Tom Chalberg served as the commercial representative for high-dose ranibizumab and development of new indications (DME). He also oversaw long-term competitive and commercial strategy for Lucentis.

Tom Chalberg graduated magna cum laude with his bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University and earned an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. He spent the early years of his career as an operations research consultant with ZS Associates in San Mateo, California. In this role, he led sales and marketing projects for companies operating in the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals industries.