Dr. Julian Rees co-founded HOPO Therapeutics and has led the company as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2020. A bioinorganic and radiochemist by training, he has spent over 15 years studying the interactions between metal ions and biological systems, with foci in ligand and chelator design, metal-protein interactions, and heavy metal decorporation. Julian has designed, performed, and authored numerous research studies investigating the efficacy and utility of HOPO’s lead drug candidate, as well as developed new applications and technologies in nuclear medicine, critical mineral purification, and global health.

Julian received a B.A. in Chemistry from Goucher College, earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Washington, and has held research fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Julian was also an Activate Fellow in the 2023 cohort of Berkeley Lab’s Cyclotron Road.

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