David Hoffmeister, last week named new chief financial officer for Invitrogen, will earn a base salary of $425,000 plus an incentive bonus, guaranteed for his first year, and a one-time signing bonus of $375,000, the company said this week in an 8-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Hoffmeister will also receive a $224,000 employment bonus payable on or before each of the first three anniversary dates of his employment. He also received options to purchase 200,000 shares of the company common stock at a $55 strike price, as well as 50,000 restricted stock units, subject to vesting.
William Knight, named as chief financial officer of Bruker BioSciences last week, will receive an annual salary of $225,000 plus a bonus of $60,000, the company said in an 8-K SEC filing. Knight also received an option to buy 125,000 shares of common stock at a strike price based on its closing price on Oct. 25, his starting date. The options will vest at 20 percent each year on the anniversary of his starting date. Additionally, Knight will have an option to purchase 25,000 shares when the company makes its annual stock option grants and 50,000 shares a year on subsequent years. The company said in the filing that Knight is expected to have a strong operational involvement in both the Bruker Daltonics and Bruker Biosciences operating companies. Knight will receive 15 days of vacation, and has a six-week salary and benefits guarantee, or three months if the company is acquired. He also has a one-year non-compete clause.
Kathrin Jansen joined VaxGen of Brisbane, Calif., as senior vice president of research and development and chief science officer. VaxGen is developing vaccines for anthrax and smallpox. Jansen formerly was executive director of microbial vaccine research for Merck Research Laboratories.
Aaron Shatkin has been elected to the board of directors of Serologicals, the company said last week. Shatkin is currently the director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, as well as a professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at the Robert W. Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, NJ. He also heads a new interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in biotechnology at Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Doros Platika, chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, has been named to the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association.
Steven Ratoff has joined ProQuest Investments of Princeton, NJ, as a venture partner. He most recently served as chairman and interim CEO of Cima Labs and, before that, had been senior vice president and CFO of the pharmaceutical group at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Susan Davidson, professor of computer and information science at the school of engineering and applied science of the University of Pennsylvania, has been named George A. Weiss Professor of Computer and Information Science, the school said this week. Davidson was the founding co-director of the Penn Center for Bioinformatics from 1997-2000, and interim director from 2000-2003.
Edwin Moses joined ClinPhone, a London-based clinical trials organization, as non executive director, the company said this week. Steven Kent, group finance director, was named as CEO. Moses previously worked for Amersham International and Evotec.