Susan Nichols is the Founder and CEO of Propel Biosciences, where she helps life-science leaders solve one of the industry’s hardest problems: turning breakthrough science into real-world impact. Her work focuses on the critical space where innovation, leadership, and execution meet—and where many promising technologies stall.

With more than 25 years across diagnostics, cell and gene therapy, and advanced life-science tools and services, Susan has held senior executive roles at organizations including Danaher/Invetech, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Hitachi Chemical, and Roche Diagnostics. She has served as both CEO and Chief Business Officer in the advanced therapy sector, giving her a rare, operator’s view of what it truly takes to build, commercialize, and scale high-science organizations.

At Propel, Susan builds commercial engines for growth-stage biotech and advanced therapy companies—helping teams clarify their market position, engage the right customers and partners, and create disciplined, repeatable paths to revenue and scale. Her approach is grounded in scientific fluency, strategic rigor, and hands-on execution, designed for moments when the cost of delay or misalignment is high.

A respected speaker and advisor, Susan is known for translating complex scientific and organizational challenges into clear, actionable insight. Her perspective resonates across scientific, business, and investment audiences by focusing on a simple truth: innovation only matters if it reaches the people it is meant to serve.