Barbara Tate is the Chief Scientific Officer at FARA (Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance). She has a wealth of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, having worked in venture capital, company creation, biotech startups, and large pharma drug discovery. She also has a Ph.D. in biology and extensive experience in neuroscience.Her primary responsibility as the Chief Scientific Officer is to help the team evaluate the scientific underpinnings of all the work that FARA does, with the goal of prioritizing resources on the best approaches as they continue to support the development of meaningful therapeutics.

Currently, Barbara is working across the scientific landscape, participating in review of grants, internal research programs, and high-priority projects. She is excited to see the very solid foundation FARA has created to enable clinical trials, including the natural history study, the focus on biomarker development and the commitment to develop and share a deep understanding of the genetics that underpin the disease and how the disease unfolds over time.

In her free time, Barbara enjoys spending time with her family and is an avid marathon runner. She also enjoys riding her horse and training her dog.