Elizabeth Douville

President and CEO of IRICoR since 2023, Elizabeth Douville is recognized for her visionary leadership and deep ties to the academic, industry and government ecosystems.
Prior to this position, Elizabeth founded and was Managing Partner of AmorChem, a leading venture capital fund focused on academic innovation and its transformation into early-stage biotech companies. As the fund’s founder, she was instrumental in developing AmorChem’s innovative early-stage investment model, raising $90 million across two funds, and establishing and overseeing the funds’ operations and governance model. Her deep ties with the academic world, combined with her strategic input and vision, were instrumental in the success of the funds. She has sourced, led and overseen investments in a dozen of the fund’s promising academic technologies, and has successfully created several spin-off companies that have raised capital or partnered with pharmaceutical companies.

Elizabeth began her career in venture capital by joining the GeneChem family of funds in 1997. She quickly rose from manager to senior partner, raising $200 million for two of the funds and leading several investments in Canada and the United States.
Elizabeth’s reputation as a highly committed and active participant in the life sciences ecosystem has led her to sit on the boards of several portfolio companies and not-for-profit organizations. In addition to her active participation on the boards of spin-off companies, she has been a member of Genome Canada’s Board of Directors since 2016 and has served as its Chair since 2019. She has been a member of the Canada Foundation for Innovation since 2015, a member of Research Canada’s Political Engagement Committee and Vice-Chair of BIOTECanada’s Emerging Companies Advisory Board. Most recently, she was appointed to the federal government’s Expert Advisory Committee for its life sciences and biomanufacturing strategy and to the board of directors of the Centre de Production de Produits Biologiques.

She obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London, UK.  She obtained a Certificate in Management from CIREM/University of Montreal and a Certificate in Leadership and Leadership Abilities from the Leadership Institute and participated in the prestigious GP Academy offered by the Business Development Bank of Canada.  In January of 2023, she successfully completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education program and obtained the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.