Dr. Darius M. Walker is a life science entrepreneur, commercialization strategist, and Founder & CEO of Vimelea Therapeutics, Inc., with over 15 years of experience advancing biomedical innovations from discovery through
development. He is a Ph.D.-trained molecular biologist whose career has centered on technology transfer, intellectual property strategy, market assessment, startup formation, and venture development across academic, government, and private-sector environments. Dr. Walker has held senior
commercialization and research administration roles at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar, where he helped establish and lead the Office of Innovation and Commercialization and managed a multi-investigator grant portfolio exceeding
$45 million.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Walker conducted translational cancer research before transitioning into a technology transfer role at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. This combined experience in research, management, and innovation informs
his pragmatic, funder-aware approach to commercialization planning and venture execution. In addition to founding Vimelea Therapeutics, Dr. Walker serves as an SBIR commercialization plan writer, integrating scientific strategy
with regulatory, market, and funding considerations to help build investable life science companies. He also demonstrates a broader entrepreneurial and creative mindset as the author of the self-published children’s novel The Ship
and the Jungle.