Karen Gheesling Mullis, Ph.D.

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Adjunct Instructor at Washington University in St. Louis

St Louis, Missouri, United States

Overview

With over 30 years in pharmaceutical R&D, Karen Gheesling Mullis now serves as the Director of New Ventures at Washington University. She leverages extensive experience from Pfizer and venture capital to guide the commercialization of university intellectual property, helping researchers launch and scale new biotech startups. She holds a Ph. D. in Biochemistry and a PMP certification.

Karen is passionate about fostering the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs within the academic community. She is a board member for Equalize, an organization dedicated to addressing the disparity of women academic inventors forming university startups, reflecting a deep commitment to mentorship and creating opportunities for underrepresented founders.

She led the clinical development and registration for several breakthrough oncology drugs at Pfizer, including IBRANCE™ and XALKORI.

Personality Overview

Value Seeker

Price-Sensitive

Systematic

It is quite likely of them to ask for pricing or other concessions.  They generally do not appreciate an overfriendly approach and prefer to stay to-the-point. They prefer to fully evaluate every situation.

Topics They Care About

Biotech Startups
Her entire career, from pharma to venture capital to her current role, has focused on growing and scaling biotech companies from the earliest stages.
Technology Commercialization
As Director of New Ventures, her primary role is to help translate Washington University's research and intellectual property into viable commercial ventures.
Oncology Drug Development
Spent over 20 years at Pfizer leading clinical development teams for major oncology products, including the breakthrough therapies IBRANCE™ and XALKORI.

Media Appearances

Karen has no verified media appearances

Work History

8-2025
Adjunct Instructor at Washington University in St. Louis
4-2022
Director of New Ventures at Washington University in St. Louis
6-2019 - 4-2022
Vice President R&D Project Management at WUGEN
11-2016 - 6-2019
Venture Partner and President of Archer Venture Partners, LLC at RiverVest Venture Partners
5-2015 - 10-2016
Director, Project Management, Oncology Business Unit at Pfizer

Education

1985 - 1990
Ph.D. from University of Alabama at Birmingham
1990 - 1994
Post Doctoral Fellow from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 28 Location : St Louis, Missouri, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Adjunct Instructor at Washington University in St. Louis
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Insights For Selling To Karen Gheesling

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Share as much information as possible regarding your product
  • Back up any claims with data and numbers
  • Emphasise more on facts and measurable benefits

DONT's

  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence
  • Don’t try to be too friendly or informal with them
  • Avoid rushing them, be polite and patient

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Karen Gheesling is

  • Ensuring that the product delivers ROI, cost-effective pricing and process compliance are very important for them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Karen Gheesling

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Karen Gheesling move?

  • If they have the information that they need, they can move fast at making their decisions.
  • Can Karen Gheesling take some risk or not?

  • If they believe that they have analyzed the situation well, they can take a little risk.

You And Karen Gheesling

Personality Compatibility


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