Biography
Jim Edwards is currently leading a multi-disciplinary group of computational & data scientists providing predictive and design tools across all modalities within the Therapeutics Discovery organization at Janssen, starting at project inception through the identification of clinical candidates. Primary to this, Jim was US Regional Head, Discovery Chemistry at Janssen Research & Development, leading drug discovery teams in South Francisco & La Jolla CA, Boston, MA, and Spring House, PA. These teams were responsible for the design and synthesis of small molecule drug candidates working with partners across DPDS and all six Therapeutic Areas within JRD. From 1999-2014, Jim led various Immunology medicinal chemistry groups at Janssen which delivered clinical-stage molecules against multiple novel first-in-class targets. Jim received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, working with Professor Scott Denmark, and performed post-doctoral studies with Professor Lanny Liebeskind at Emory University.