• Medicinal chemistry team lead and scientific leadership roles on multiple high priority neuroscience and antiviral programs in the Lead Optimization space.

• Project co-leader for a neuroscience program in Lead Optimization with responsibility for program strategy, Research Operating Plan design and implementation, lead series optimization and target design, lead prioritization and progression through preclinical evaluation, as well as organizing and chairing program team meetings, preparing stage-gate documents and presenting program updates to senior management.• Coordinate discovery activities between Medicinal Chemistry, Franchise Biology, In vitro Pharmacology, In vivo Pharmacology, Chemical Modeling and Informatics, Drug Metabolism, Discovery Process Chemistry, Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Imaging and Safety Assessment.• Responsible for directing the research of a large global medicinal chemistry team including internal Merck chemists at two research sites and external chemists in China.• In collaboration with External Scientific Affairs and leaders from other functions, served as the chemistry lead on due diligence teams responsible for evaluating potential licensing opportunities in neuroscience.• Provided leadership, employee development and line management responsibilities for 10 direct reports.

• Program co-leader and chemistry leader for a high-priority exploratory neuroscience program that successfully advanced from Lead Identification to Lead Optimization.• Responsible for leading a medicinal chemistry team comprised of up 16 internal chemists to successfully identify two acceptable lead series in support of LO Entry.

• Key Innovator for three development compounds in oncology and neuroscience.• Team leader for an early neuroscience program responsible for evaluating and optimizing hits from an HTS campaign to identify leads in support of an expanded project team.• Discovered and optimized the first series of oral allosteric dual AKT1/2 and pan-AKT1/2/3 inhibitors, a long standing problem for an important oncology program at Merck, culminating in the discovery of 3 development candidates.• Served as hiring manager for associate-level positions (2010-2013) and Ph.D. ambassador for Harvard University (2005-2011)

• Performed research on the NR2B-selective N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist program targeting a novel treatment for Parkinson’s Disease. Designed two advanced lead series and provided chemistry support for a second neuroscience program.