Rakesh Vekariya

Rakesh Vekariya is a Senior Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry at ORIC Pharmaceuticals Inc. since November 2021, having previously held the position of Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry at the same company. Prior experience includes a role as Drug Discovery Scientist I in Medicinal Chemistry at Vanderbilt University from May 2019 to October 2021, focusing on targeting Mcl-1 using fragment-based methods and structure-based design. Rakesh also worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Southern Research from August 2016 to April 2019, conducting structure-activity relationship studies on mu agonist/delta antagonist opioid analgesics, and participated in lead optimization. Earlier roles include Graduate Research Assistant positions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The University of Kansas, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Rakesh earned a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from The University of Kansas, a Master’s degree in Medicinal Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Bachelor of Pharmacy from J.S.S. College of Pharmacy, Ooty.