He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna, known for its COVID-19 vaccine.

Bancel is a partner at Flagship Pioneering, and has served on the boards of Indigo Agriculture, Boston's Museum of Science, and Qiagen.

[5] Bancel was a sales director at Eli Lilly and Company, eventually becoming head of operations for Belgium.

Stat reported that Bancel led a highly secretive culture with little outside review of its science or research.

[6] In April 2020, with the Moderna share price rising on news of imminent phase 2 human trials for its potential COVID-19 vaccine, Bancel's stake of about 9% became worth over $1 billion.