Sathapana (Sam) Kongsamut, Ph.D.
Owner and Principal, Rudder Serendip LLC
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Sam Kongsamut obtained his PhD at the University of Chicago and had postdoctoral training at Cornell and Yale Universities. He joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1991, working for a succession of five different companies (Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals Inc, Hoechst Marion Roussel, Aventis, sanofi aventis. now sanofi), and experiencing two mergers, one takeover, and one "transformation" without moving anywhere. Sam has managed various-sized groups of scientists in biochemical pharmacology that served multiple project teams in the neuroscience area, and has been a member of the CNS Board that managed the CNS project portfolio. He has led or worked on a variety of drug discovery and development projects covering a range of neuroscience areas (OCD, anxiety-depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, sleep disorders, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, stroke), helping to translate animal pharmacology to human pharmacology, including being involved with two drugs that are now helping patients. More recently, Sam was Director of External Innovation at sanofi-aventis, using his experience to identify opportunities for collaboration and licensing for broad therapeutic interests within the Aging Unit. Since leaving Sanofi in 2012, Sam founded Rudder Serendip LLC (steering from the rear close to the data towards serendipity), a consulting practice that serves clients at universities, foundations and biotechnology companies with advice on R&D plans and business development.
