Kalpana Merchant, PhD, is a neurobiologist who has led and contributed to the discovery and development of drugs for neurological and psychiatric disorders at start-ups and international pharmaceutical companies for nearly 30 years. She is the founder President of TransThera Consulting Co., which provides strategic and scientific guidance on drug discovery and translational strategies to biotech start-ups. Kalpana is also an adjunct professor of neurology at Northwestern University, a senior advisor to the Michael J Fox Foundation and serves on several advisory boards and working groups at National Institutes of Health. She joined Oregon Inc. in 2020 and also serves on the board of OTRADI/OBI. Dr. Merchant received her PhD in neuropharmacology from the University of Utah, and completed postdoctoral training at University of Washington.