AtaiBeckley

Srinivas Rao is Co-Founder and CEO of AtaiBeckley and previously co-founded atai Life Sciences, where he served as Chief Scientific Officer for five years before becoming Co-Chief Executive in 2023. He has over two decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, holding scientific, medical, and executive roles at companies ranging from venture-backed startups to publicly traded firms. He earned his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine and holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Yale.

Andrea Heslin Smiley is a life sciences executive with about 28 years of experience in commercialization and general management. She is President and CEO of VMS BioMarketing, a healthcare services company, which she joined in 2008 and led as CEO from 2011; she previously spent 18 years at Eli Lilly and Company in finance, business development, corporate affairs, and brand management roles. She holds a BA in economics from DePauw University.

Laurent Fischer is CEO and President of Adverum Biotechnologies and sits on the boards of Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Lycia Therapeutics, and Teal. He previously chaired CTI Biopharma, led Tobira Therapeutics as CEO (later acquired by Allergan), and held leadership positions at Jennerex, RXCentric, MedVantx, Dupont Pharmaceuticals, Dupont-Merck, and F. Hoffmann-La Roche. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Geneva and a medical degree from the Geneva Medical School in Switzerland.

Scott Braunstein is an operating partner at Aisling Capital and serves on the boards of Caribou Biosciences and Trevena. He previously led Marinus Pharmaceuticals as CEO and Chairman, was COO at Pacira Pharmaceuticals, and managed the JP Morgan Global Healthcare Fund. He started his career as a practicing physician at Summit Medical Group, holds a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and an undergraduate degree from Cornell University.

Ryan Barrett is Chief Legal and Business Officer at AtaiBeckley Inc., a biotechnology company developing mental health treatments. He has experience leading corporate development and legal functions at public and private companies. At AtaiBeckley, his work has included Beckley's strategic investment and subsequent acquisition, along with multiple equity and debt financings.

Amir Kalali is a physician-scientist working at the intersection of life sciences and technology, serving as a board director and advisor to private and public companies, universities, and investment groups. He is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, Editor of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, and Lead Editor of Essential CNS Drug Development, with over 250 peer-reviewed publications. He previously led the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at Quintiles (now IQVIA) for nearly 20 years and co-chairs the Decentralized Trials and Research Alliance while chairing the CNS Summit.

Anne Johnson is Chief Accounting Officer at atai Life Sciences, a position she assumed in 2026 after serving as CFO of AtaiBeckley and earlier as Chief Accounting Officer, Vice President of Finance, and Global Controller at atai. She oversees accounting, financial planning and analysis, tax, and treasury, and has more than three decades of corporate finance experience largely in the life sciences sector, including involvement in four IPOs. She is a CPA and CGMA and holds a B.Sc in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Gerd Kochendoerfer is Chief Operating Officer at AtaiBeckley and previously held the same role at atai Life Sciences, overseeing development, business operations, and quality infrastructure. He joined in 2024 with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, focusing on drug development, corporate development, and team leadership. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley, is named on multiple patents, and has published over 25 peer-reviewed papers.

Joseph Sumberg is Chief Medical Officer at AtaiBeckley, a role he assumed in 2025 after joining atai in 2021 as Vice President and later Senior Vice President of Clinical Development, where his responsibilities span clinical development, regulatory affairs, drug safety, biostatistics, global clinical operations, and early commercial activities. He previously held a faculty appointment at the Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cambridge and began his industry career at P1vital, working on imaging and cognitive biomarkers for early-phase psychiatry trials. Sumberg earned his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand and an MPhil in Medical Science from the University of Cambridge, and holds specialist accreditation in addiction and adult psychiatry.

Kevin Craig became Chief Medical Officer of atai Life Sciences in 2025, having joined in 2021 as Vice President and later Senior Vice President of Clinical Development, where he oversees clinical development, regulatory affairs, drug safety, biostatistics, and global clinical operations. He has more than 20 years of clinical experience with a focus on neuroscience pipelines, and previously held a faculty appointment at the University of Cambridge's Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Institute and worked at P1vital on imaging and cognitive biomarkers for early-phase psychiatry trials. He earned his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand and an MPhil in Medical Science from the University of Cambridge, and is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists with accreditation in addiction and adult psychiatry.

Rob Hershberg is Co-Founder, President, CEO and board chairman of HilleVax, and a Venture Partner with Frazier Healthcare Partners, where he has worked with the firm and its portfolio companies for 14 years. He previously co-founded and led VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, and held senior roles at Celgene (including Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Business Development & Global Alliances), Dendreon, and Corixa. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at UCLA and a Ph.D. from the Salk Institute, and previously served as an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.