Biosystems Informatics Institute (Bii) and its commercial trading arm, Turbinia Ltd, announced today the appointment of David Flanders, PhD, as Chief Operating Officer. David brings to the position more than 20 years' international experience in life sciences software tools and database management development. In this role, David will be responsible for implementing long-term business strategy as well as project management, negotiating collaborative agreements and day-to-day operations. "As we move towards commercialisation of our first product offerings, David's wealth of sector knowledge and expertise will be a key asset to Bii and Turbinia. David has considerable experience managing teams of software developers in a commercial setting and his management of key-customer accounts, notably Celera, while at Lion Biosciences, should prove invaluable. David also brings with him a long-standing mind-set focused on customer needs; this appeals to us greatly, particularly as we work towards the development of next generation integration engines," noted Ian Humphrey-Smith, Chief Executive of Bii and Turbinia. Prior to joining Bii, David spent more than 4 years with Lion Bioscience, a leading bioinformatics company. In his role as Head of Basic Technologies, he led teams responsible for software development, support & customisation, and testing & quality assurance. He also managed the development life-cycle of multiple releases of the market-leading software, SRS, and related modules. In addition, David brings international experience as a senior bioinformaticist, gained in academic and commercial settings, including Stanford Medical School and a global provider of health and agricultural technology. David earned his PhD in cell and development biology from Australian National University and has a BSc in agricultural botany from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.