Sue Merrilees, Senior Philanthropic Advisor with the Science Philanthropy Alliance, works with members and advisees to create bespoke science philanthropy strategies with the goal of achieving the highest donor satisfaction and increasing private funding to basic science.
Sue has more than 25 years of experience in strategic relationship management and the creation of impact investment opportunities gained through progressive advancement roles in institutions across the U.S. and abroad. She participated in and led successful billion and multi-million-dollar campaigns at Barnard College, Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). At UCSF, she managed teams focused on fundraising initiatives for the neurosciences, global health and infectious diseases, and quantitative biosciences, as well as numerous capital projects that comprise the Mission Bay campus.
Just prior to joining the Science Philanthropy Alliance, Sue led strategic planning and fundraising at the University of Sydney’s Medical School—the nation’s oldest university–where she played an instrumental role in the success of the largest fundraising campaign in Australia.
The Science Philanthropy Alliance is a not-for-profit whose mission is to advise high net worth individuals on investing in basic science. Because the Alliance’s operations are supported by its members, which include six of the largest science foundations in the world, it can offer advising services without charge to qualified philanthropists.
Sue Merrilees

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