Jennifer Perusini, PhD

Dr. Jennifer Perusini, a neuroscientist and entrepreneur, is co-founder and CEO of Neurovation Labs. Her research forms the basis of Neurovation Labs’ pioneering work, which made the groundbreaking discovery that there is a physiological component to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that can be targeted to both diagnose and treat the disorder. Dr. Perusini and her team have developed a proprietary drug discovery platform to identify compounds with dual potential: as precision neuromedicines that act on specific brain areas and as diagnostic agents that reveal circuit-level dysfunction. Their lead asset is a precision therapeutic initially targeting PTSD that can be expanded to additional indications, with a patented detection method in the pipeline. Dr. Perusini earned her B.A. in Neuroscience & Behavior at Barnard College, Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied the mechanisms underlying PTSD in an animal model. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship, which focused on rodent models of aging and Alzheimer’s disease, at Columbia University in the Departments of Psychiatry and Integrative Neuroscience. Dr. Perusini is on the Board of Directors of both Women in Learning (WIL), a nationwide 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the advancement of women in science, and the Pavlovian Society, an international scientific research organization. She is Chair of the Barnard Entrepreneurs Network (BEnet), an alumnae organization that supports entrepreneurs at all business stages across industries, and serves on Barnard’s Leadership Council at Athena Center. She is a presenter at national biotech industry events, has been featured in numerous publications, and frequently speaks on issues pertaining to women entrepreneurs across industries.