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Diane Isonaka

Special Assistant to the President, Institute for Systems Biology and Senior Program Analyst, Battelle Memorial Institute
Diane Isonaka has spent her professional career working in scientific program development and management, business development, education and training, and strategic planning. Diane’s specific interest in genetic research began when she was appointed to create the legal, business, and ethics infrastructure for the Utah Resource for Genetic and Epidemiologic Research (now the Utah Population Database), a novel data resource that is used extensively in genomics research. Diane Isonaka

She went on to manage the Genome Program at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute during which time the HHMI played a significant role in the creation of the Human Genome Project. Other activities included being a co-founder of the international Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) and the Director of Corporate Development and Technology Management for Darwin Molecular (which then became Chiroscience and Celltech).

Most recently, she was a consultant to the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences where she was responsible for the creation of an applied bioscience business ethics center. Diane is currently splitting her time between two positions: as the Special Assistant to President Lee Hood at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle and as a Senior Program Analyst for Battelle Memorial Institute’s signature Corporate Science and Technology initiative.

Diane’s work with the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology has been ongoing since 2003. Her area of interest is in applied ethics as practiced in academic, industrial, and private not-for-profit institutions.