Alan Hennessy joined GARDP as Discovery and Exploratory Research Team Leader in June 2023. Prior to joining GARDP, Alan was most recently head of lead generation and group leader at Syngenta, Jealott’s Hill, UK. He also held multiple roles at Syngenta in people and project leadership from 2011 and several of his projects have now successfully transitioned to the development phase.

He has also spent almost ten years working in anti-bacterial research for GSK, leading diverse medicinal chemistry teams. A highlight was the invention of key phase III antibacterial clinical candidate Gepotidacin (approval expected 2024).

He is an author on 23 papers and inventor on 50 published patents (including the key Gepotidacin patent). He has a PhD in Palladium catalysis from University College Dublin from where he also obtained his primary chemistry degree. Alan brings experience of modern medicinal chemistry research strategies from target selection and hit finding through to later stage lead optimization.