Michael Berens, PhD
Director, Cancer and Cell Biology Division
Head, Brain Tumor Research Lab
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)

Michael E. Berens, Ph.D. is Senior Investigator in the Brain Tumor Unit and Director of the Cancer and Cell Biology Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, TGen.  Dr. Berens was a member of Governor Jane Dee Hull’s 2002 Taskforce on Genomics, which strategized the funding, partnerships, and recruitment to launch TGen. 

Following the award of his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona, Dr. Berens’ academic career has included appointments at the University of Zurich, the Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, the University of California at San Francisco, and the Barrow Neurological Institute, where he worked 12 years as Senior Investigator and Director of Neurology Research.  His research program on brain tumors involves international collaborations, and is funded by the National Institutes of Health and private medical Foundations.  Dr. Berens holds three patents, and is founder of Creative Scientific Methods Inc, and co-founder of Avolix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  He serves on boards for scientific journals, governmental agencies, professional societies, and non-profit organizations. 

He is active in the technology and public policy sectors, serving as Chairman of the Arizona Technology Council.