Ralph “Chris” Christoffersen, a leader in biotechnology and a long-time supporter of Cornell, passed away on Sept. 20, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado. He was 87.
Christoffersen grew up in Chicago, where he excelled academically and athletically. He graduated from Cornell with degrees in chemistry and mathematics, earned a Ph.D. from Indiana University, and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Nottingham and the University of Iowa.
At Cornell, he participated in the Chemistry Club, track and field, and Beta Omicron (Owls). He received an honorary doctorate of law degree from Cornell College in 1983 and served on the college’s Investment Committee and the Berry Center Advisory Board. In 2006, he returned to campus as the Beta Omicron Distinguished Alumni Visitor with his lecture, “Biotechnology as the next U.S. Economic Driver.” He and his wife established the William and Ruth Deskin Endowed Chair in Chemistry in 2012 and the Chris and Barbara Christoffersen Endowment for Experiential Learning in 2021. In February 2025, they also established the Dr. Ralph Christoffersen ’59 & Barbara Christoffersen Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Christoffersen held many roles in higher education—professor, administrator, and president—and also served as CEO of several pharmaceutical companies and as a venture capitalist. He received the Outstanding Research of the Year Award from the International Society of Quantum Biology in 1981, the W. E. Upjohn Award for contributions in biotechnology in 1988, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 from the Colorado Biosciences Association.
He and his wife, Barbara, were married for 64 years and had innumerable adventures around the globe. In recent years, Christoffersen devoted himself to the arts community in Boulder. He is survived by his wife, his son, his daughter, their spouses, and seven grandchildren.