28 November 2025
Portuguese neuroscientist Rui Costa, President and CEO of the Seattle based Allen Institute, one of the world’s most influential biomedical research organisations, has been appointed Non-Executive Director of the Champalimaud Foundation. The decision, announced by the Foundation’s President, Leonor Beleza, reinforces the institution’s Board of Directors.
For Leonor Beleza, Rui Costa’s arrival represents an invaluable contribution to the development of the Foundation’s scientific and clinical mission in the fields of cancer and neuroscience. She highlights: “The strategic vision and remarkable career of Professor Rui Costa strengthen our ability to generate knowledge and transform it into real benefits for patients and for society. It is also an investment in the future and in the continuity of our ambition and vision.”
Rui Costa takes on the new role “with great honour and a deep sense of responsibility.” He highlights that the Champalimaud Foundation “is an example of scientific ambition and commitment to innovation” and expresses his intention to help advance “scientific discovery, clinical translation, and the training of future generations of scientists and clinicians.”
Rui Costa has maintained a close and long-standing relationship with the Champalimaud Foundation since the early stages of its scientific project. He was a Principal Investigator and later Director of the Champalimaud Research, a period during which he played a central role in establishing the Foundation’s international reputation in neuroscience. His scientific leadership helped attract global talent, develop ambitious research programmes, and consolidate a culture of excellence and innovation. More recently, Rui Costa served as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board.
After completing his PhD at UCLA/University of Porto and a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University, he joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he rapidly distinguished himself.
In 2009, he became a researcher in the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, serving as Deputy Director and later Co-Director of the Champalimaud Research (2014–2017).
Between 2017 and 2022, he directed the prestigious Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University in New York, where he led large-scale scientific programmes and strengthened interdisciplinary collaborations. In 2022, he was appointed President of the Allen Institute, becoming the first Portuguese scientist to lead an organisation that is a global reference in biology, neuroscience and data science.
Throughout his career, Rui Costa has received multiple national and international distinctions, including Commander of the Order of Sant’Iago da Espada, the Ariëns Kappers Medal from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and election to both the European Molecular Biology Organization and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine — honours reserved for scientists of extraordinary impact.
