Leon Katzengruber

Medicinal chemist and drug discovery scientist with a passion for turning bold ideas into transformative therapies. Trained in world-class academic and biotech environments, I lead projects and manage interdisciplinary teams from kinase inhibitors to bifunctional molecules and chemically induced proximity approaches (PROTACs & molecular glues), contributing to preclinical candidates, patent filings, and startup ventures.

I thrive at the intersection of science, strategy, and collaboration — driving SAR campaigns, improving ADME, and introducing innovative assays to advance drug programs. My focus is not just on solving complex chemical problems, but on aligning them with strategic objectives and business impact.

Eager to leverage my expertise in pharma leadership roles or strategy consulting, where scientific rigor meets strategic decision-making.

At Stanford's renowned Gray Lab, I drive multiple high-impact drug discovery projects at the interface of chemistry and biology. Acting as a chemistry lead, I design and synthesize small molecules and bifunctional degraders (PROTACs and molecular glues), pushing forward structure-activity relationship (SAR) campaigns for difficult-to-drug targets, including kinases and Ras proteins. My work involves close collaboration with cross-functional teams, including biologists, structural biologists, AI/ML engineers/computational chemists and mass spectrometry experts, ensuring iterative data-driven optimization.

During my doctoral research, conducted in partnership with the biotech startup HepaRegeniX, I led a hit-to-lead campaign focused on developing small molecule inhibitors targeting a novel MAP kinase (MKK4). This project demanded not only deep medicinal chemistry expertise but also strategic project management and cross-functional coordination.

PhD in Medicinal Chemistry

MS in Chemical Biology

BS in Biochemistry