Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that Katharine (Kate) Knobil is joining Agilent as the company’s chief medical officer. The chief medical officer at Agilent is a newly created position designed to advise, lead, and elevate the company’s presence in the health-care industry. As Agilent’s first CMO, she will play a key role in the company’s efforts to expand its leadership in precision medicine, supporting development of novel therapeutics to allow clinicians to identify appropriate patients and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Kate Knobil has more than 20 years of experience in clinical development and medical affairs while serving in strategic leadership roles across the globe. She has led development and medical affairs functions in the U.S., Europe, and in emerging markets. Prior to joining Agilent, Knobil served as CMO and head of research and development at Kaleido Biosciences, where she applied her pharmaceutical-development experience to guide the company in its approach to translating the promise of the microbiome into solutions for patients. Knobil’s prior experience also includes tenure at GlaxoSmithKline, where she served in a variety of leadership roles, including head of late-stage clinical development in China, head of value evidence and outcomes, and CMO. During her time with GlaxoSmithKline, she represented the company at multiple health-regulatory agencies in several countries and led presentations for eight U.S. Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee Meetings. Knobil serves on the board of directors of Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. and has served on the board of directors of the National Health Council.