Melissa McCracken

Melissa McCracken is a Partner at Nextech Invest Limited in Boston, Massachusetts, where she manages venture capital investments in emerging cancer therapeutics. Prior to joining Nextech, she served as a Senior Associate at Third Rock Ventures, contributing to the launch of Celsius Therapeutics before its acquisition by AbbVie. She currently holds board positions at several biotechnology companies, including Tyra Biosciences, Alpha-9 Oncology, and A2 Biotherapeutics. McCracken completed a postdoctoral fellowship in immuno-oncology at Stanford University after earning her doctorate in Pharmacology from UCLA and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from UC Davis. She gained early research and development experience through multiple internships at Amgen and is a member of the Kauffman Fellows Class 25. Her career bridges academic scientific research and early-stage biotech investing with a specialized focus on engineered immunity and oncology treatments.