Murthy Devarakonda, PhD
Executive Director | Leads AI Teams in Pharma | AI for in-silico drug development | AI/NLP and GenAI | Innovator and Educator | Seasoned People Manager and Mentor | PhD in Computer Science
Novartis•Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
View LinkedIn ProfileExecutive Overview
Strategic and results-driven innovation leader with deep expertise in AI, machine learning, and computer science, and a strong track record of delivering transformative impact across pharma, healthcare, and tech. Currently I am an Executive Director and Head of the AI Model Development Team at Novartis Biomedical Research. I lead teams developing foundation models and GenAI agents to accelerate in-silico drug discovery. My background spans both industry and academia, including leadership roles at IBM Watson Research Center and a Research Professor in AI/NLP at Arizona State University including a joint appointment with Mayo Clinic. I bring a unique blend of technical depth, strategic vision, and team-building acumen, with a passion for applying AI to solve complex problems in drug development and healthcare.
Career Timeline
- NovartisCurrent2021–Present· 5 yrs 9 mos
- Executive Director, AI Innovation TeamsCurrent2021–Present
- 2018–2021· 3 yrs
- Research Professor in AI/NLP, specializing in biomedical informatics2018–2021
- 1998–Dec 2017· 19 yrs 11 mos
- Distinguished Research Staff Member & Manager1998–Dec 2017
Education
Bachelor's degree
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Osmania University
Master's degree
Computer Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Computer Science
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Master's degree
Computing Systems
Indian Institute of Technology, Madras