Vinayak Khairnar

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT VINAYAK KHAIRNAR

Experienced Synthetic Organic Chemist | Medicinal Chemistry | AI & Computational Drug Discovery # Seasoned synthetic organic chemist with 24 years of experience in pharmaceutical research, with deep expertise in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.#For the past 16 years, have been a key contributor at Aurigene Oncology Limited, supporting scientific innovation and leadership across multiple therapeutic programs.#As Lead Chemist, managed several medicinal chemistry projects by guiding and supporting a team of chemists—working in both client-based chemistry CRO projects and in-house drug discovery programs.# In chemistry CRO collaborations, worked closely with well-known global clients, led chemistry team /FTE to successfully deliver complex synthetic targets with speed and precision. Maintained high client satisfaction through effective troubleshooting, technical excellence, and good communication.# In in-house drug discovery programs, worked across multiple therapeutic targets and played a key role in progressing several compounds through design and synthesis—resulting in three preclinical candidates and one clinical candidate, AUR104, a first-inclass FABP5 inhibitor for cancer treatment.#Actively collaborated with cross-functional teams to drive data-driven decision-making and accelerate project milestones.# Mentored a team of chemists by offering scientific support, reviewing technical work, and promoting their professional growth to ensure consistent and high-quality project outcomes.#Bring multidisciplinary expertise in process chemistry, cheminformatics, and computational chemistry, with a strong emphasis on AI-enabled drug discovery.#Proven track record of impactful. research in medicinal chemistry, supported by multiple patents as co-inventor and co-author of numerous abstracts and posters presented at international conferences.#Strong supporter of workplace safety and compliance, actively served on the organization\'s safety committee.