Krzysztof "Chris" Appelt is a Polish scientist and entrepreneur. In 1984, Chris accepted an invitation from the Chemistry Department of UCSD and moved to San Diego. In 1986, he joined Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc., a startup biotechnology company using protein crystallography, molecular biology, and computer-based drug design for the discovery of new therapeutics. At Agouron, he led teams engaged in antiviral, ophthalmic, and anticancer drug discovery and development projects. Agouron was acquired for $2.1 billion in 1998.

Chris was formerly the global head of Ophthalmology at Pfizer before he moved to startup company Quorex Therapeutics as CTO. He was also the founder, president, and CEO of Great Lakes Pharmaceuticals and Visthera Inc. He has 70 publications in refereed journals, is the editor of two books, and has been an invited keynote speaker at meetings in Europe, Japan, and the US.

Chris holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the Max Planck Institute in Berlin (1980). He is married with one son and two grandsons, loves to cook, and enjoys good food and good wine. Further interests include sailing, music (jazz and blues), and books. He has lived in the US for over 38 years.