Andrew Conrad (geneticist)

Andrew Conrad
Born	1964 (age 53–54)
Residence	California, United States
Nationality	American
Citizenship	U.S.
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles
Spouse(s)	Courtney Thorne-Smith (m. 2000–2001) (divorced) Haylynn Cohen ()
Scientific career
Fields	Genetics
Institutions	North Carolina Research Campus

Andrew J. Conrad Ph.D., is a geneticist who heads Verily, a life sciences division of Alphabet Inc. As its chief executive officer, Conrad has recruited a multidisciplinary team of chemists, doctors, engineers, behavioral scientists and data scientists to research health and disease.

Conrad grew up in Malibu, California and enjoyed surfing there.

Conrad graduated with a B.S. in neurobiology and a Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the late 1980s.

In 1991 Conrad co-founded the National Genetics Institute (NGI) along with Mike Aicher. He served as its chief scientist and helped grow it into one of the largest genetics laboratories in the world. In 2000 LabCorp bought NGI for $65 million.

With the money earned from the sale of NGI, Conrad built a vacation home on the Lānaʻi island of Hawaii. On June 2, 2000 Conrad and Hollywood actress Courtney Thorne-Smith impulsively got married but the two split 7 months later.

At an art auction in Lānaʻi, Conrad met David H. Murdock, chairman and owner of Dole Food Company, and also owner of Lānaʻi island. Murdock came to trust Conrad and eventually gave him board membership on companies he controlled: Castle & Cooke, Dole Food Company and NovaRx. Conrad invested his money with Murdock and his son, Justin.

In 2005, Conrad helped set up the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC), a life sciences research center in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Murdock donated $700 million to NCRC as its founder. As its chief scientific advisor, Conrad attracted prominent scientists and companies to NCRC to develop products focused on agriculture, food, nutrition, and health.

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