Dr. Dennis Riley is Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Galera Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company discovering and developing innovative cancer treatments. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. Dennis and his colleagues have been developing synthetic enzymes that target undesired or toxic metabolic byproducts. One compound Dennis has developed protects healthy tissue from radiation damage during cancer treatment. When he’s not doing work, Dennis enjoys mountain biking, golfing, and amateur astronomy. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics from Heidelberg College and his PhD in inorganic chemistry from The Ohio State University. Afterwards, Dennis conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago. Dennis began his career working in research and development with Proctor and Gamble, and he spent much of his career working at Monsanto where he held the positions of Senior Science Fellow and Manager of Metal-Mediated Chemistry. He subsequently served as Vice President of Research at Metaphore Pharmaceuticals and Senior Vice-President at the start-up company Kereos before co-Founding Galera Therapeutics. Dennis is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and he has received the American Chemical Society St. Louis Section’s Chemist of the Year Award. In addition, Galera Therapeutics’ new drug GC4419 has been designated as a “Breakthrough Therapy” by the FDA for reduction in the duration, incidence, and severity of oral mucositis induced by radiation therapy in cancer patients. In this podcast interview, Dennis spoke with us about his experiences in life and science.