AstraZeneca has appointed Dr Shridhar Narayanan to the position of Vice President and Head, Infection iScience, Bengaluru, effective November 2012. In this role, Dr Narayanan will lead the AstraZeneca team of discovery research scientists who are based in Bangalore and focus on research for tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases.

Dr Narayanan joins AstraZeneca with more than 10 years of drug discovery and development experience. Most recently, Dr Narayanan was the executive vice president-Discovery Biology and Drug Development at Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals. In this role, he was responsible for the design and implementation of the scientific and business strategy for drug discovery and development across therapeutic areas, managing a team of scientists in biology, DMPK, safety pharmacology and regulatory toxicology and clinical development.

Dr Manos Perros, Head of the AstraZeneca Infection Innovative Medicines Unit said, “Dr Narayanan and his team represent an important part of AstraZeneca’s investment in the search for new medicines to help people who are suffering from infectious diseases. His  experience in the Indian pharmaceutical industry across various therapeutic areas will complement his strong team of scientists as they work closely with their infection research colleagues in Boston, Massachusetts as well as external academic leaders and other third party partners.

Dr Narayanan holds a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Ohio State University, and has post-doctoral experience in Neuropharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Following his training, Dr Narayanan held scientific leadership positions at Nicholas Piramal, Glenmark, and Dr Reddy’s Labs.