Murali Gopalakrishnan, PhD

Murali Gopalakrishnan is currently Global Head, Search & Evaluation Neuroscience, at AbbVie, North Chicago, Illinois, USA. Murali joined Abbott/AbbVie in 1993 and subsequently held various positions of increasing responsibility leading research programs and research teams in neuroscience, pain, renal and urology – advancing multiple clinical candidates across these therapeutic areas. He has extensively published in scientific journals and was inducted to the Volwiler Research Society in 2002. From 2009-2013, Murali took on the role as Head of the then newly formed Global External Research group, leading a team focused on developing external innovation strategies with various therapeutic areas, and enabling the identification, diligence and establishment of external collaborations around emerging science, targets, technologies and preclinical assets. He was also responsible for the leadership of AbbVie China R&D Center in Shanghai, since its inception in 2009 and subsequently led the Renal Discovery Therapeutic Area, advancing research programs in Chicago & Shanghai, and via a network of external academic partnerships. Since 2015, he has taken on a leadership position within AbbVie’s Search & Evaluation team, with responsibilities for accessing and advancing opportunities in the Neuroscience Therapeutic area. Murali obtained his undergraduate training in pharmacy from Banaras Hindu University, India and a PhD in pharmacology from the School of Pharmacy, SUNY at Buffalo, New York. He completed his post-doctoral training in molecular biology at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas and has an MBA degree from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, Illinois.