Leona M. Flores, PhD, is Vice President of Research Operations at Sanford Burnham Prebys, which she joined in January 2025.
Her duties include elevating the research capacity of the institute by working with faculty and other scientists to ensure successful execution of research projects and reducing the increasingly complex administrative burden of research.
Flores oversees a team responsible for advancing the institute’s mission by providing professional project management techniques, administrative support and research resources to Sanford Burnham Prebys laboratories, including the institute’s National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center.
Flores was previously at the Salk Institute where she served as executive director and deputy director for research administration, overseeing strategic initiatives and research programs at Salk’s NCI-designated basic research cancer center and inter-institutional research collaborations.
Prior to Salk, Flores was director of research development at San Diego State University Foundation (2018-20) and director of research development and collaboration for UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center (2012-18).
Flores received her Bachelor of Sciences degree in architectural engineering from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo and a Bachelor of Sciences degree in biomedical sciences from California State University Fullerton.
She earned a doctorate in biomedical sciences at University of California San Diego and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego’s Institute of Engineering in Medicine under Shu Chien, MD, PhD.