Daniel J. Hoeppner

Stealth-stage startup

Daniel J. Hoeppner, PhD is a pharmaceutical R&D and external innovation leader dedicated to advancing translational science through strong academic–industry partnerships. Currently co-founder of a stealth-stage startup, he previously held senior leadership roles at Astellas and its subsidiaries, where he drove external collaborations, platform-enabled discovery, and data strategies that accelerate early innovation toward patients.

Before transitioning to industry, he was an investigator at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development where he established and ran a microscopy core facility specializing in time-resolved analysis. He led or supported multiple industry collaborations. While a post-doctoral fellow and staff scientist at the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke he developed tools for imaging-based stem cell lineage analysis. A student at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Dan applied DIC optics to resolve open questions about programmed cell death
mechanisms.

Having trained over 30 students and colleagues in cellular imaging and image processing, Dan brings a deep commitment to mentorship, ecosystem building, and accelerating success in his colleagues and business partnerships.