Selda Samakoglu, MD, PhD

Selda is a distinguished medical oncologist, physician-scientist, and biopharmaceutical executive with over 20 years of experience spanning academia, clinical medicine, and industry. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Clinical Sciences at Iovance Biotherapeutics, where she led global development of cell-based therapies for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer and head and neck cancer. She has also held executive leadership roles at ImClone Systems, Gilead Sciences, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Replimune.

Over her career, she has successfully led programs from IND through proof-of-concept to NDA/BLA approvals across monoclonal antibodies, small molecules, oncolytic viruses, and cell-based immunotherapies. She played pivotal roles in the regulatory approvals of Cetuximab, Imbruvica, Elotuzumab, and Amtagvi and has engaged with global health authorities including the FDA, EMA, CDE, and MHRA.

Dr. Samakoglu earned her BS and MD from Hacettepe University School of Medicine in Turkey, followed by specialization in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Hacettepe and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She holds a PhD in Medical Biology and Human Genetics and completed postdoctoral clinical and research fellowships at Institut Pasteur and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.