Novavax’s Stanley C. Erck, its former executive chairman, has been appointed to the position of president and chief executive officer and will remain as a member of the board of directors. Current board member James Young, Ph.D., will assume the position of chairman of the board.

Erck has had experience in the biotechnology sector and has brought infectious disease product candidates into late-stage clinical trials for Novavax. From 2000-2008, Erck served as president and CEO of Iomai Corporation, leading the company through an IPO and a merger with Intercell. He also served as president and CEO of Procept, a publicly-traded immunology company; as vice president of corporate development at Integrated Genetics, and in management positions within Baxter International.

Young has over 30 years of experience in the fields of molecular genetics, microbiology, immunology and pharmaceutical development. He was previously president of R&D at MedImmune where he was instrumental in the development of FluMistR and SynagisR.