James C. Blair, Ph.D.

James C. Blair has served on the Sanford Burnham Prebys Board of Trustees since 2012. He served as board chair from 2018 to 2022.

He is founder, partner and managing member of Domain Associates, a venture capital firm specializing in life sciences investments. Since 1985, Domain has been involved in the formation of more than 260 companies, with more than $2.8 billion in capital raised.

Over a career spanning more than 45 years, Blair helped shape the success of more than 40 life sciences companies, including Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Amylin Pharmaceuticals and NuVasive. He currently serves on the board of directors at Axial Biotherapeutics, ChromaCode, Clovis Oncology, and InflammX Therapeutics and has served on advisory boards for the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, the University of Southern California Stevens Institute for Innovation, the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at California Institute of Technology and the Department of BioEngineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

Blair was a senior director of Rothschild/New Court from 1978 to 1985. From 1969 to 1978, he was associated with F.S. Smithers and Co. and White, Weld and Co. From 1961 to 1969, he was an engineering manager with RCA Corporation during which time he received a David Sarnoff Fellowship.

Blair has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Princeton University and Master of Science in Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.