Craig is a creative and innovative scientist and drug hunter with over 25 years combined experience in drug discovery and development, both in industry and academia (Eli Lilly, Merck, Vanderbilt University, and WCNDD). Serving as project leader, inventor, director and editor, he has a proven track record of delivering results including over 15 preclinical candidates, 6 of which have successfully entered clinical trials and several proceeding through various stages of clinical development. During Craig’s time at Merck as the Director of the Technology Enabled Synthesis group, he oversaw the work of 22 BS/MS/PhD medicinal chemists and delivered 6 preclinical candidates for CNS and oncology programs. Currently, Craig is the University Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Chemistry at Vanderbilt University and serves as Executive Director of the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (WCNDD) at Vanderbilt University. The WCNDD is a clinical-stage biotech nestled within the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Basic Sciences. With over 95 BS/MS/PhD scientists across medicinal chemistry, DMPK, behavioral and molecular pharmacology, Craig raises and maintains a $38M annual budget. Under Craig’s leadership, the Center delivered 15 clinical candidates (2 additional candidates to be declared in 2023). Craig is an inventor of 115 issued US patents and 251 patent applications, the author of over 600 scientific manuscripts and has been an invited speaker at over 100 international conferences. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2009-2020), interim Editor-in-Chief of ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science (2020-2021) and current Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2021 -). Craig has received numerous major awards from ACS and ASPET, including his induction into the ACS MEDI Hall of Fame (2021), and was named a Fellow of the Royal Society for Chemistry, the National Academy of Inventors, ASPET and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Craig enjoys great food, a good bourbon, and classic rock music, all excellent offerings in Nashville, TN.