Biotechnology Heritage Award

The Biotechnology Heritage Award honors extraordinary individuals whose work in biotechnology is helping to heal, fuel, and feed the world through discovery, innovation, commercialization, or public understanding.

First bestowed in 1999, the award is given annually during the BIO International Convention. The Science History Institute is proud to present this award alongside the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), which represents more than 1,200 biotech companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations.

2026 Awardee: Jay Flatley

Jay Flatley led Illumina as CEO from 1999 until mid-2016, served as executive chairman from mid-2016 through 2019, and as board chair until mid-2021. During his tenure as CEO, he took the company from $1.3 million in sales (all research grants, not products) in 2000 to $2.2 billion in 2015, representing a compound annual growth rate of 64 percent. He oversaw the company’s expansion from microarrays into next-generation sequencing with the acquisition of Solexa in 2006, and from research into clinical and applied markets. Under his leadership, Illumina was named multiple times to the Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 and Fast 500 lists, as well as to the Forbes 25 Fastest-Growing Tech Companies (2007, 2009, and 2010), the Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies (2010 and 2011) lists, and recognition by MIT Technology Review as the World’s Smartest Company in 2014.

In January 2020 Jay joined the board of Zymergen as lead independent director and assumed the role of chairman just before Zymergen’s IPO. In August 2021 Jay assumed the role of interim CEO of Zymergen and acted in that role until the sale of the company to Ginkgo Bioworks in October 2022.

Jay currently serves on the boards of directors at Denali, Rivian, Cellanome (chairman) Wellcome Leap (chairman) and on the board of trustees for the Salk Institute. He is an advisory board member for UC San Diego’s Moores Cancer Center, and venture capital firms Time Biosystems and Illumina Ventures. Jay was previously on the boards of Coherent and Juno Therapeutics and was chairman of Zymergen and Iridia.

Previously, Jay served as president and chief executive officer of Molecular Dynamics, later acquired by Amersham Pharmacia Biotech and now a part of GE Healthcare. As a cofounder and member of the board of directors for Molecular Dynamics, he led the company to its initial public offering in 1993. While there, he also helped Molecular Dynamics develop and launch over 15 major instrumentation systems, including the first capillary-based DNA sequencer. Prior to joining Molecular Dynamics, Jay was vice president of engineering and strategic planning for Plexus Computers, executive vice president for Manning Technologies and held various positions at Spectra Physics.

Jay received a BA in economics from Claremont McKenna College and a BS and MS (summa cum laude) in industrial engineering from Stanford University.

Winners of the Biotechnology Heritage Award

About the Sponsor

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is the world’s largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial, and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.