After more than a decade among the faculty of Harvard’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Jay Bradner has ventured across the Charles River to lead the research division of one of the world’s largest drug companies.

In March, he took over the Kendall-headquartered Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research, stepping in to helm a team of more than 6,000 scientists for a company that spends about $7 billion a year on research and development.

On paper, it’s a culture clash: Bradner is perhaps best known for discovering a promising cancer therapy and then giving it away — something Novartis, like all pharma companies, tends not to do. But the physician-researcher believes his commitment to open science won’t be stifled by everyday life in a giant company.

Bradner sees Kendall Square as an interconnected community, bridging academia, industry, and investors. And he wants Novartis, Cambridge’s largest private employer, to help unite the neighborhood.

“There’s no question that the adjacency of scientists, like the adjacency of institutions, breeds collaboration,’’ Bradner said. “And so it’s my job to crack the doors open.’’

Damian Garde can be reached at damian.garde@statnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @damiangarde. Follow Stat on Twitter: @statnews.