Thomas Hughes, PhD has more than 24 years of experience in the biomedical and pharmaceutical research and development. Dr. Hughes is President and CEO of Zafgen, Inc – a biotech company focused on treatment of severe obesity and its related cardiometabolic risk factors, and a member of the Zafgen Board of Directors since 2008. From 1987-2008, Dr. Hughes held several positions at Novartis AG (and formerly Sandoz Pharmaceuticals) including Vice President and Global Head of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Therapeutic Area at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research in Cambridge MA. Dr. Hughes has held Adjunct Professorships in Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the School of Medicine and Dentistry of the State of New Jersey and at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Dr. Hughes also serves as a Director on the Board of Miragen Therapeutics, Inc. and is member of several Scientific Advisory Boards, including Nimbus Discovery, LLC.