Chandrika Mulakala

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT CHANDRIKA MULAKALA

External Innovation, J&J Innovative Medicine:In my current role in External Innovation at J&J, I help bring together world class scientific talent from the external ecosystem including startups, academic groups and emerging technology partners to collaborate with J&J scientists on high impact challenges in drug discovery. I focus on identifying transformative science, enabling strategic partnerships, and championing novel modalities and technologies (AI/ML, computational methods, quantum technologies) that can accelerate therapeutic innovation. I am passionate about connecting the brightest minds across the ecosystem to solve complex problems, accelerate therapeutic innovation, and bring meaningful medicines to patients who need them.Innovation Core Team, Jubilant Biosys:Previously, I served on the Jubilant Innovation Core Team, where I helped shape the scientific and strategic vision for internal innovation programs. I championed targets, led a discovery project, and contributed to the successful out licensing of an anti cancer molecule in a multi million dollar deal with Checkpoint Therapeutics — a milestone demonstrating our team’s ability to translate early stage science into external value.Computational Chemistry:My foundational experience is in computational chemistry, with expertise in both ligand and structure based modeling to support medicinal chemistry and guide compound design. I’ve applied in silico techniques across multiple therapeutic areas, enabling data driven prioritization of compounds for synthesis in highly collaborative, multidisciplinary environments.