After struggling to find someone to fill the seat vacated by Zach Hall, CIRM seems to be taking a bit of a breather. They’ve found someone to take the job as president for six months, at $50,000 a month. Richard Murphy as been a member of CIRM’s board, and the head of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. He’ll take the reins of the institution set to disburse $3 billion over ten years on September 1.

You can read the CIRM press release here.

I have two initial thoughts. One is that as a former board member of CIRM, Murphy probably has a good idea of how long he can last in that position (juggling peole with different aptitudes and agendas and trying to enthuse without overpromising), which apparently is six months. The other concern is the fact that he will recuse himself from decisions involving San Diego-based institutions, according to the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. I understand the concerns about conflict of interest, but how can the president stay out of decisions for a place so powerful and important in stem cell research, and one he knows well too.. And surely Murphy has friends, colleagues, contacts everywhere and not just the place he’s called home? There has to be a more effective way keep corruption amd undue influences out of the public sphere.