Dean Dragoli, PhD
Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry at Alumis
Dean Dragoli, PhD is Vice President of Medicinal Chemistry at Alumis, where he leads chemistry strategy and execution from early discovery through candidate development. He has over 20 years of experience in drug discovery and has held progressive leadership roles in medicinal chemistry, including Executive Director and Senior Director positions at Alumis, where he has built and led high-performing chemistry teams.
Previously, Dr. Dragoli spent over six years at Ardelyx as Senior Director and Director of Medicinal Chemistry, advancing multiple discovery programs. He also held scientific roles at ChemoCentryx, where he contributed to programs across inflammation and autoimmune disease, and at Discovery Partners International.
Dr. Dragoli earned his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and his BA in Chemistry from the College of the Holy Cross. He brings deep expertise in medicinal chemistry, team leadership, and the advancement of well-characterized drug candidates into clinical development.
Jeff Warrington, PhD
Principal Scientist, Digital Chemistry and Design at Novo Nordisk
Jeff Warrington, PhD is Principal Scientist of Digital Chemistry and Design at Novo Nordisk, where he applies computational chemistry, cheminformatics, and artificial intelligence to accelerate small molecule drug discovery within the company’s Digital Innovation organization. He brings over 15 years of experience at the interface of medicinal chemistry and data science, with a track record of integrating in-silico approaches into drug discovery pipelines.
Previously, Dr. Warrington served as US Head of Medicinal Chemistry & CADD at METiS Therapeutics, where he led computational and medicinal chemistry efforts across lipid nanoparticle and small molecule programs. He also held senior medicinal chemistry roles at Ardelyx and Atomwise, advancing discovery projects using both in-house and outsourced models. Earlier in his career, he was a Senior Scientist at Cytokinetics, where he contributed to discovery programs in rare diseases and oncology.
Dr. Warrington earned his PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Ottawa and completed postdoctoral research in synthetic chemistry and chemical biology at Stanford University. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member in Cheminformatics at Brandeis University, teaching graduate-level courses in computational drug design. He brings deep expertise in medicinal chemistry, AI-enabled design, and portfolio strategy in both biotech and large pharma contexts.
Kenji Kozuka
Senior Director, Preclinical Research and Nonclinical Development at Ardelyx
Kenji Kozuka is Senior Director of Preclinical Research and Nonclinical Development at Ardelyx, where he oversees discovery and development activities across pharmacology, DMPK, and nonclinical research. He has more than 15 years of experience in drug discovery and development, with extensive leadership in fully outsourced and hybrid operational models.
Previously, Mr. Kozuka served as Director of Nonclinical Development at Visterra and held progressive roles at Ardelyx including Associate Director of Pharmacology and DMPK, Senior Manager of DMPK, and Manager of DMPK, where he advanced multiple programs through discovery and preclinical stages. Earlier in his career, he held research positions at Alvine Pharmaceuticals and Genentech.
Mr. Kozuka earned his Master of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and his Bachelor of Arts in Biology from San José State University. He brings deep expertise in preclinical strategy, outsourcing governance, and the integration of pharmacology and DMPK into translational pipelines.
James White, PhD
Collaborative Communications at CDD Vault
James White, PhD is Director of Collaborative Communications at Collaborative Drug Discovery (CDD Vault), where he leads scientific communications and digital media strategy for biotechnology and pharmaceutical research organizations. He has extensive experience in strategic business development, project management, and fostering partnerships across startup and research ecosystems.
Previously, Dr. White served as an Associate at Ropes & Gray and as Project Manager at Hera Health Solutions, where he supported venture capital networking initiatives and managed federal grant applications.
Dr. White earned his PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Vanderbilt University and his BS in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. He brings expertise in translating complex scientific research into accessible communications for diverse audiences.