Jean Kim, Graviton’s Head of Chemistry, brings three decades of experience in medicinal chemistry and drug design from both big pharma and startups. A team-oriented chemist, she played a key role in delivering two drugs to market: Taigexyn and Rezurock. Before joining Graviton, Jean served as a consultant and scientific advisor for biotech startups focused on cancer and autoimmune drug discovery.
From 2010 to 2022, Jean led Chemistry Research at Kadmon, which was later acquired by Sanofi. During her tenure, she successfully oversaw the development of Belumosudil for cGVHD. As the first chemist at Kadmon, she established the ROCK2 platform and built a proficient chemistry team.
Prior to her role at Kadmon, Jean contributed to Alzheimer’s Disease research at Wyeth Neuroscience Center and worked on treatments for Metabolic Syndrome at Merck Research. In her early career at P&G Pharma startup, she designed novel antibiotics to treat MRSA, with nemonoxacin progressing to clinical trials and receiving NDA approval in Taiwan in 2014.
Jean holds a B.S. in chemistry from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois in Urbana. She has close to 30 patents, is recognized as a co-inventor, and is actively sought after as a consultant and Scientific Advisory Board member.