Leading innovative medicines company Novartis has appointed Indian American scientist turned AI strategist Gayathri Raghupathy as Executive Director, Functional AI and Process Excellence, U.S. Medical.
In this role, she will work with cross-functional teams to harness AI, reimagine critical processes, and scale intelligent solutions that enable stronger focus on what matters most—science and patients, according to a media release.
“Excited to share about joining Novartis,” Raghupathy wrote on LinkedIn, “I will be working with some amazing teams to harness AI, reimagine processes and scale intelligent solutions that free us to focus on what matters most: science and patients.”
“Grateful for the journey from the lab to medical communications to building AI products in a startup environment, and for the incredible partners who helped shape this path,” she wrote. “There’s so much to learn and grow into, and I can’t imagine a better place than Novartis, with its deep commitment to innovation and patients.”
Raghupathy describes herself as a “scientist turned AI strategist who loves turning fuzzy challenges into clear AI opportunities.”
“I focus on shaping AI that starts with people and real pain points. I enjoy connecting dots across science, data, process and operations to design solutions that actually land and scale,” she says. “At my best in fast, 0-to-1 environments where experimentation and teamwork drive progress. Always curious, always learning, and excited about the next wave of human-centered AI in healthcare.”
READ: Drugmaker Novartis to acquire biotech firm Avidity Biosciences for $12 billion in cash (October 27, 2025)
Before joining Novartis, Raghupathy spent over six years at Kognitic, Inc., a startup environment where she helped shape the scientific and business strategy behind AI-enabled intelligence solutions.
Most recently, she served as Chief Strategy Officer, after earlier leading scientific strategy as Vice President, Scientific Strategy and previously as Lead, Scientific & Business Strategy, where her work included driving product innovation, building competitive insights, strengthening data quality processes, and partnering closely with marketing and medical affairs leaders in pharma to deliver end-to-end outcomes.
Earlier, she worked at BGB Group as a Medical Writer, supporting scientific content development across congress planning, promotional strategy, competitive intelligence, and digital education initiatives, while also creating physician-facing materials and training assets for medical and commercial teams.
Her early foundation includes co-founding CUNY Biotech and GRO-Biotech, community-led initiatives connecting life-science researchers with the biopharma ecosystem with deep research experience.
Raghupathy earned a PhD in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, focusing on gene regulation research relevant to advances in T-cell gene therapy, at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.