As a director of medicinal chemistry at Belharra, Yvonne is designing molecules to impact previously undruggable proteins and change the course of serious diseases. She is a passionate drug hunter with expertise in rare diseases and pain research. Prior to Belharra, Yvonne was part of the chemistry team at Inception Therapeutics where our company was founded. An organic chemist by training, she became a medicinal chemist by learning from countless colleagues at Vertex Pharmaceuticals in San Diego where she started her career. Yvonne is always looking to inspire a love for science in the younger generation and is an avid supporter of diversity and inclusion in STEAM.
Yvonne holds a diploma in chemistry and a Dr. rer. nat. from the University of Freiburg, Germany. Her PhD thesis focused on the enantioselective total synthesis of polyketide natural products and insect pheromones.