Directors
Director David E. Olson
- Director, UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics
- Associate Professor of Chemistry; Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
- Affiliate Member of the Center for Neuroscience
Meet the person leading our mission to unlock the potential of psychedelics for both healing and elucidating the mysteries of how the brain functions. Dr. David E. Olson, a distinguished scientist, is not only the Founding Director of the UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics but also a co-founder and the Chief Innovation Officer of Delix Therapeutics. With a strong academic background in chemistry and neuroscience from prestigious institutions such as Stanford University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Dr. Olson's expertise spans medicinal chemistry, molecular/cellular neurobiology, and behavioral neuropharmacology. He is a UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow, and his numerous accolades include being listed as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Psychedelics by Psychedelic Invest. He has a passion for using chemistry to answer fundamental questions in neurobiology and solve problems in central nervous system drug discovery. Under his leadership, the Institute is charting new territories in the understanding of the human mind and pioneering the development of innovative neuroplasticity-promoting therapeutics for improving mental health.
Associate Director John A. Gray, M.D., Ph.D.
- Associate Director, UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics
- Core Member of the Center for Neuroscience
- Associate Professor of Neurology; Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
- Director, M.D./Ph.D. Dual Degree Program, UC Davis School of Medicine
Allow us to introduce Dr. John A. Gray, our accomplished Associate Director. With an impressive academic background that includes an MD and PhD from Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Gray has been studying the effects of psychedelics since he was in graduate school. He is an expert on the synaptic basis of neuropsychiatric disorders, and his work has delved into the cellular intricacies of serotonin 5-HT2A and NMDA receptors, the primary targets of classic psychedelics and dissociative anesthetics (e.g. ketamine), respectively. A board-certified psychiatrist and synaptic biologist, Dr. Gray leads groundbreaking research focused on understanding synapse formation and plasticity, with a special emphasis on the potential of psychedelics to promote long-lasting synaptic plasticity. His work exemplifies our commitment to understanding the pathophysiology of synaptopathies so that we may find new therapeutic approaches for reshaping the landscape of mental health.
Scientific Advisory Board
Craig W. Lindsley, Ph.D.
- University Distinguished Professor, Vanderbilt University
- Executive Director, WCNDD
- Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Dr. Craig W. Lindsley is a prominent figure in medicinal chemistry and neuroscience, known for pioneering the development of allosteric ligands for G protein coupled receptors and leading the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt. With extensive experience in both industry and academia, his work has provided a roadmap for doing central nervous system drug discovery in an academic setting. As the founding Editor-in-Chief of ACS Chemical Neuroscience and the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, he has had a profound influence on the field of neurotherapeutic development.
Kimberley McAllister, Ph.D.
- Director, UC Davis Center for Neuroscience
- Professor of Neurology; Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior
- Director, NIMH LaMP T32
- Co-Director, UC Davis Conte Center
- Co-Champion, Emerging Health Threats Grand Challenge
A. Kimberley McAllister obtained her Ph.D. in neuroscience in the laboratory of Dr. Lawrence C. Katz at Duke University in 1996, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute with Dr. Charles F. Stevens. She has been a Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior at UC Davis since 2000 and director of the Center for Neuroscience since 2016. Dr. McAllister’s research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of brain development and the role for neural-immune interactions in brain development and disease. She is deeply committed to mentoring and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels. Her research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 20 years and she has received substantial support from private foundations through research grants and awards including the Basil O’Connor Research award from the March of Dimes, the Pew Scholars award, the Merck Scholars award, and an Independent Investigator award from NARSAD. She also received the Young Investigator Award from the Society for Neuroscience. In addition to leading interdisciplinary neuroscience initiatives at UC Davis as co-champion of the Emerging Health Threats Grand Challenge, she directs an NIMH T32 focused on graduate training in learning, memory, and plasticity and is PI and co-director of the UC Davis NIMH Conte Center.
Mark Namchuk, Ph.D.
- Puja and Samir Kaul Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Innovation and Translation in the department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
- Executive Director, Therapeutics Translation Harvard Medical School
Dr. Mark Namchuk leads drug discovery efforts at Harvard Medical School, focused across all therapeutic areas and drug modalities. With a rich background in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, he guides the Harvard Medical School Therapeutics Initiative, shaping an on-campus incubator and educational programs. Prior to joining Harvard Medical School, Dr. Namchuk held senior R&D position at Alkermes and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He has worked on drug discovery efforts across many indications including neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, inflammatory diseases, orphan disease, infectious diseases, and oncology.
Kristin Preller
- Group Leader, University of Zurich
- Principal Clinical Biomarker Lead CNS, Boehringer Ingelheim
Dr. Katrin Preller, is a prominent researcher in neuropsychiatry with a background in neuropsychology. Her academic work focuses on the clinical and mechanistic effects of novel therapies in neuropsychiatry, and she has co-authored some of the most impactful mechanistic studies of psychedelics in humans. In 2020 she joined F. Hoffmann La Roche as Biomarker and Experimental Medicine Leader and subsequently Boehringer-Ingelheim as Principal Clinical Biomarker Lead CNS.
Staff
Savannah Sanchez-Kauth
- Program Coordinator, UC Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics
Savannah Sanchez-Kauth recently joined us as our Program Coordinator! Savannah is a US Marine Corps veteran with a B.A. in Psychology. She plays a crucial role in our operations, managing tasks such as social media, data analysis, and event planning. Savannah is incredibly passionate about the mission of the IPN, especially given that psychedelics and related compounds are demonstrating enormous potential for improving the mental health of veterans.