10th Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum

Dr. Tracy's background includes thirty years of experience as a clinician and consultant in a variety of psychiatric and neurological settings. He received his PhD from the University of Miami, and completed his clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. In 1995, Dr. Tracy founded NI Research, which has provided analysis and candid commentary for neurotherapeutics companies and investors for three decades via its flagship publication, NeuroPerspective.

Dr. Gebauer has more than 30 years of industry experience in research and development and has been part of teams responsible for numerous approvals worldwide in several therapeutic areas, including Alzheimer’s disease. He served as CEO of Secarna Pharmaceuticals; CEO and Chairman at Omeicos Ophthalmics Inc, Cambridge, MA, USA; and as CDO and Managing Director of the Berlin, Germany-based sister company, Omeicos Therapeutics. He has held C-level positions at leading global pharmaceutical firms, including Sun Pharmaceuticals and Merz Pharmaceuticals. During his time at Merz, he served as Senior Vice President, Head of Global Research & Development, and was directly involved in the development of memantine, which was approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s. Dr. Gebauer studied medicine at Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany, where he also earned a PhD in experimental pharmacology. He additionally holds a degree in computer science and has lectured on pharmaco-economics.

Dr. Amit Etkin founded Alto in 2019 and is our President and Chief Executive Officer and serves as Chair of our board of directors. Prior to founding Alto, Dr. Etkin was a tenured professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, where he held multiple leading roles. During his more than a decade on the faculty, Dr. Etkin ran a well-funded laboratory with over 30 students, postdoctoral researchers, and staff and was jointly appointed at the Palo Alto Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Etkin has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles in leading basic science and clinical journals and ranks in the top 0.1% of researchers by citations worldwide. His exceptional research contributions during his tenure at Stanford led to Dr. Etkin being awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award, the most competitive and prestigious NIH grant, and the first in history to be awarded in clinical psychiatry. His entrepreneurial accomplishments were also recognized when he received an EY (Entrepreneur of the Year) award.

Anna Lisa Picciolo-Lehrke, PhD, is heading up the Business Development Neurology at UCB. She was the Business Development lead in the recent acquisitions of Zogenix, Ra Pharma and Engage as well as in the latest partnerships with Roche and Novartis. Anna Lisa has a proven track record in partnering and licensing that stems from 20 years professional experience. Prior to joining UCB, she was member of the Business Development and Licensing team at Schwarz Pharma. Since then, Anna Lisa took on various roles in Business Development and Licensing at UCB. Previously, she worked for the Technology Transfer Office of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Germany, being responsible for the protection and commercialization of research results arising from DKFZ’s research activities. Anna Lisa graduated in biology at the University of Bielefeld, Germany, and obtained her PhD at the DKFZ in Heidelberg in 2001. She is active in industry associations (e.g. Board member of the Pharma Licensing Club Germany) and is a member of the supervisory board of Apontis Pharma AG.

Arno is a Managing Director in the EQT Life Sciences team, where he is a co-founder of its Dementia Fund. He serves on the boards of Atalanta Therapeutics, Vectory Therapeutics, and AstronauTx. At EQT Life Sciences, he additionally focused on investments across a broad range of life sciences companies, including VarmX, NewAmsterdam Pharma, QurAlis and Muna Therapeutics. Prior to joining EQT Life Sciences in 2019, Arno worked as a physician-scientist at Amsterdam UMC, where he practiced medicine for six years and trained in Neurology. His research at the Alzheimer Center in Amsterdam focused on imaging and biofluid biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, where he co-authored over 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals. Next to his work in venture capital, he is a Member of the Societal Advisory Board of Amsterdam UMC. Arno holds an M.D. from Utrecht University, a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from VU Amsterdam, and an M.B.A. from INSEAD.

Dr. Bruce Leuchter is President, CEO, and board member of Neurvati Neurosciences and GRIN Therapeutics. A physician by training and neuropsychiatrist by specialty, he brings deep expertise in clinical research, patient care, and the development of novel therapies for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Prior to his work as a biotech executive, Dr. Leuchter held senior roles for over a decade in biotechnology equity research at Goldman Sachs, healthcare investment banking at Credit Suisse, and mergers and acquisitions at PJT Partners, where he provided strategic and capital markets advisory to leading biopharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Leuchter served as the Director of Clinical Neuropsychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, where he currently holds a voluntary faculty appointment. He is a co-founder and the founding neuropsychiatrist of Click Therapeutics. He serves on the board of Arrivo BioVentures and Courage Therapeutics, is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Daedalus Fund for Innovation at Weill Cornell, and sits on the Life Sciences Institute Leadership Council at the University of Michigan.

Carla Lema Tomé is an Executive Director of Global Business Development at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, working globally with colleagues in Japan and Europe and leading the US based team. She was previously at Spark Therapeutics, a member of the Roche group, as a Senior Director of Business Development focusing on Neuroscience, Ocular, and Platform Technologies opportunities. Carla has had roles as a Commercial and Medical Strategy consultant and as Therapeutic Strategy Lead working with pharmaceutical and medical device companies focused on the CNS space to develop integrated clinical development plans, evaluating assets and markets, and supporting launch planning. Previously, Carla was Director of Research at NeuroInsights, a market research and consultancy firm and Editor at Neurotech Insights. Carla has a PhD in Neurobiology and Anatomy and an MBA, both from Wake Forest University and has completed two postdoctoral fellowships in the Brain Tumor Center of Excellence at Wake Forest School of Medicine, and in the Department of Experimental Medicine at Lund University. Carla maintains an Adjunct Assistant Professor’s appointment at Wake Forest School of Medicine where she lectures on neurotech commercialization, developmental neuroscience, and regulatory affairs.

Christopher Stern is a Managing Director and Partner in L.E.K.’s Life Sciences practice and is based in the Boston office. He works with clients across the life sciences industry, from large pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechnology firms, helping them navigate complex challenges and develop strategies for asset, therapeutic area, and corporate growth. His expertise spans therapeutic areas with rapidly evolving standards of care, with extensive experience in ophthalmology, central nervous system (CNS) disorders, and cardiometabolic disease.

Chris joined L.E.K. in 2013 as a Life Sciences Specialist and has since advised clients on critical strategic initiatives. From 2021 to 2023, he worked at UPMC Enterprises, the innovation and investment arm of UPMC. While there, he served as founding Chief Business Officer for Avista Therapeutics, a portfolio company focused on developing next-generation gene therapies for blinding diseases.

Chris earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota, where he studied novel molecular mechanisms of neuronal stress peptides. He completed postdoctoral training in neurology and epilepsy at Stanford University School of Medicine. He also holds a B.S. in Biochemistry, graduating summa cum laude, from Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania.

Daniel Lee is a Partner in the Strategic Advisory Group at PJT Partners, based in New York. Dan is a founding member of the PJT Healthcare team leading life science engagements and acting as a trusted strategic and M&A advisor to executive management teams and boards of directors on complex matters in the Large Cap Pharma and Biotech sectors.

Prior to joining PJT Partners, Mr. Lee worked in the investment banking divisions of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley where he advised clients across multiple industries in mergers & acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and activism defense mandates.

Mr. Lee graduated cum laude from Northwestern University where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received his JD from NYU School of Law.

Diana Saraceni is Co-Founder & General Partner at Panakes, a Venture Capital firm dedicated to early-stage investments in Life Sciences primarily in Europe and the US. With over 20 years of Venture Capital experience, she has also co-founded and managed 360 Capital Partners, another leading pan-European Venture Capital firm. She has led investments in a significant number of companies all over Europe and in the US, not only in the Life Sciences sector, and generated several exits as IPO and M&A transactions. Diana is also part of several committees in Europe and in the US for public/private grants and awards allocation to start-ups. She also follows several portfolios in neuroscience, oncology, endoscopy, tissue regeneration, ophthalmology and pain.

Gaia Skibinski is the director of discovery and translation at the Michael J. Fox Foundation. She works with a team of professionals who stay closely linked to the Parkinson's community in order to develop an aggressive and innovative strategic vision for accelerating Parkinson’s disease research and drug development. At the foundation she co-leads the translational therapeutic team, and leads a target de-risking strategy around emerging therapeutic targets for Parkinson’s disease. She read Biological Sciences at Magdalen College at Oxford University and earned a PhD at the Institute of Neurology in London where she identified CHMP2B, a novel gene for Frontotemporal Dementia. At the Gladstone Institutes, she established a suite of human cellular models to elucidate the roles of LRRK2 and alpha-synuclein in neurodegeneration and identify potential therapeutic targets. This work evolved into a highly successful Parkinson’s disease program centered on advanced in vitro models, assays, and screening platforms. As program leader, she secured and led impactful collaborations with industry partners including Amgen, Biogen, Merck, Google Accelerated Science, and Verily. She then served as SVP of Biology at Herophilus, a tech-enabled neurotherapeutics company, where she helped build the human cerebral organoid platform from inception, later acquired by Roche-Genentech. She also led scientific strategy and discovery efforts in Rett syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and schizophrenia.

Gregor is the Head of BD & Licensing, Search and Assessment at Lundbeck, where he is responsible for leading teams in BD with the goal to execute on the Focused Innovator strategy through accessing innovative external opportunities to complement and build the Lundbeck product portfolio. Gregor joined Lundbeck in August 2021 as VP and Head of BD & Licensing, Search and Assessment. In this role, he and his team are responsible for the global search, scientific evaluation and business case support of assets, research programs and technologies from early research to late clinical development and commercial stages. Prior to this role, Gregor spent 5 years as Senior Director of Scientific Licensing (Neuroscience), within Janssen Business Development, the pharmaceutical companies of J&J, leading the identification and evaluation of clinical stage assets and companies for licensing and M&A. Before moving into Business Development, Gregor was Head of Neuroscience Medicinal Chemistry EU at Janssen for 12 years, where he led discovery teams in Belgium and Spain towards the identification of clinical drug candidates in the areas of Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and depression. In addition, Gregor was also extensively involved in identifying external drug discovery opportunities and prosecuting research collaborations with a variety of academic, biotech and pharma partners. Gregor started his career within the Medicinal Chemistry depts. of SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoSmithKline, where he spent 7 years in the Neuroscience area. Gregor is a co-author and co-inventor on over 110 scientific publications and patents and is an invited speaker and panelist at many international conferences.

Jay Olson is Managing Director and Senior Analyst covering Biotechnology. Prior to joining Oppenheimer, Jay covered SMID-cap names and worked on the Large Cap Pharmaceuticals team at Goldman Sachs for 4 years after 4 years on the #1 II-ranked Large Cap Pharmaceuticals team at Sanford Bernstein. Prior to Wall Street, Jay spent 18 years in the pharmaceutical industry, working mostly for Pfizer in finance, marketing and business development. Jay received an M.B.A. in Finance and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering both from MIT, and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University. He also holds the CFA designation.

Mr. Cohen is responsible for equity research coverage of medical technology and healthcare services. He has 19 years of experience directly involved in the worldwide financial markets, of which he has spent the past 11 years directly involved with healthcare research and sales. Prior to joining Ladenburg Thalmann, he was a Senior Healthcare Research Analyst at C.K. Cooper & Company focusing upon the biotechnology, medical technology, and healthcare services segments. Mr. Cohen also served as a healthcare research analyst at Jesup & Lamont Inc., where he focused upon medical technology with sector specialization within Cardiology, Vascular, Orthopedics and Diabetes. Prior to equity research & sales, he spent seven years trading and managing fixed‐income and equity derivative products at Cantor Fitzgerald, Sanwa Securities and the American Stock Exchange. Mr. Cohen holds a B.S.E. in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of Miami. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Business & Management at Lynn University teaching Economics, Management, and International Business.

Profile coming soon...

Dr. Tucker is a seasoned executive who has built several publicly traded biotechnology companies. Dr. Tucker was a founder and Chief Executive Officer of Stem Cell Therapeutics, which he took public on the TSX (TSX: SSS). Trillium Therapeutics (NASDAQ: TRIL, TSX: TRIL) acquired Stem Cell Therapeutics in 2013. Dr. Tucker has also held the position of Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Epimeron Inc., a University of Calgary start-up acquired in the creation of Willow Biosciences Inc. (TSX: WLLW). At Willow, Dr. Tucker served as Executive Chairman and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to founding companies, Dr. Tucker was a healthcare analyst with two investment banks and has also worked in technology commercialization for a university technology transfer office. Dr. Tucker received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Calgary.

Kabir Nath joined Compass Pathways as Chief Executive Officer in August 2022. Kabir is a purpose-driven leader with a strong personal connection to the challenges of serious mental illness and to Compass’s mission.

With more than thirty years of biopharmaceutical and medical technology experience, Kabir has shaped strategy and delivered results in complex, challenging business environments at the country, regional, and global level; he has lived and worked in several countries across Europe and Asia, as well as the USA. He is currently based in London.

Prior to joining Compass, Kabir held senior leadership positions at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company and Bristol Myers Squibb; previously he held a number of operational and strategic roles at the medical technology company Smith & Nephew. Kabir has an MA from the University of Cambridge and an MBA with Distinction from INSEAD.

Karen LaRochelle is an accomplished executive with over 30 years of experience in biopharma strategy and transactions. As Senior Vice President at Merz Therapeutics, Karen leads Global Business Development and Strategy, overseeing partnerships, strategic alliances, and long-term strategic direction. Previously, Karen held Chief Business Officer roles at several biotechnology firms focused on oncology, immunology, and neuroscience, where Karen advanced innovative therapies and key partnerships. Earlier, Karen spent two decades at Bristol-Myers Squibb, executing more than 50 major transactions across research, development, and commercial functions, significantly enhancing the company’s portfolio and forging high-value collaborations. Karen holds an MBA from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University, where Karen serves as Chair of the P.C. Rossin School of Engineering Advisory Board.

As CEO of Sinaptica, Ken is leading the team to advance their personalized closed-loop neuromodulation therapy for Alzheimer's, which has generated very positive sham-controlled clinical data from two phase 2 trials both published in top peer-reviewed journals. Sinaptica has FDA Breakthrough status for its novel proprietary approach which combines rTMS, EEG, and Neuronavigation with a sophisticated ML-derived personalization engine based on a novel brain target-- the precuneus, the central hub of the Default Mode Network, a brain network involved in episodic memory. The company is now in-process on financing to initiate a pivotal study.

Previously to Sinaptica, Ken has 20+ years leading and growing new business ventures on both the 'Buy Side' and the 'Build Side.' He started his career in management consulting at Charles River Associates, then jumped to industry at CSL, then Baxter BioScience (now Takeda), and Boston Scientific, with leadership roles in marketing, strategy, and corporate development.

At Boston Scientific's nearly $1B Neuromodulation division, he was the global commercial lead for the highly successful Cosman RF ablation business he helped acquire. He also built the division’s Strategy function, providing leadership in areas including strategic planning, BD assessment, R&D portfolio management, digital strategy, and investments in next-gen platforms & new indications.

Klaus, CEO and board member of Vandria, brings over 18 years of leadership in top 50 pharma companies, including 9 years as CMO at Boehringer Ingelheim and Ferring. He has overseen the development and launch of four blockbuster drugs and holds 17 patents. In addition to his commercial experience as GM, he serves on the boards of AOBiome and Ferring Ventures, and is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Heidelberg University.

Laszlo Kiss is the Chief Business Officer and Head of Research at Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, with over 25 years of experience in drug discovery, development, venture capital, and management. He has a strong track record of leading drug discovery programs for central nervous system (CNS), cardiovascular (CV), and rare diseases, guiding projects from early-stage research through clinical development.

Before joining Gilgamesh, Laszlo held positions of increasing responsibility at Pfizer, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Essen Biosciences, and Merck & Co. He earned his Ph.D. in Physiology and Neurobiology from the University of Connecticut and completed postdoctoral training in Neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego.

He is the author of more than 50 scientific publications in peer reviewed journals, book chapters, abstracts and patents. Laszlo has served on grant review panels at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Lisa Ricciardi has served as Cognition's President and CEO since March 2020 and as a member of our board of directors since March 2019. Lisa has deep experience in early stage companies & in corporate settings. She was appointed the SVP of global corporate and business development of Foundation Medicine, and as SVP of U.S. and international business development of Medco; in both cases, she led deal teams to sell the companies. Ms. Ricciardi was in the commercial division of Pfizer Inc., taking three drugs to launch before being appointed by the chairman to run global business development.

Ms. Ricciardi previously served on the boards of Contrafect (Nasdaq: CFRX), Chimerix (Nasdaq: CMRX), United Drug Healthcare Group, PLC (LSE: UDG) and Sepracor (Nasdaq: SEPR). Both UDG and Sepracor were sold during her tenure. She was appointed as the executive in residence at Columbia Technology Ventures in January 2020.

Ms. Ricciardi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in English and religion from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Management.

Manuel López-Figueroa, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist, biotech executive, and investor with more than 25 years of experience spanning academic research, company building, and life sciences investment. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of IMIDomics, where he is a member of the executive team and oversees the company’s day-to-day administrative and operational functions.

Dr. López-Figueroa is also the Scientific Liaison for the Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research Consortium, a collaborative research enterprise that brings together leaders in psychiatry, neuroscience, and genetics from Stanford University, the University of Michigan, Cornell University, the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, and the University of California, Irvine.

In addition to his operating roles, Dr. López-Figueroa serves as an advisor to Bay City Capital, where he previously held the position of Managing Director. During his tenure, he was involved in the formation of portfolio companies including BrainCells Inc. and Synchronicity Pharmaceuticals (formerly Reset Therapeutics). He has also served as an investment advisor to Nina Capital.

Dr. López-Figueroa completed postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan and the University of Copenhagen. He holds a Ph.D. in Medicine and Surgery and an M.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the Universities of Las Palmas and La Laguna, respectively, and serves on the boards of Oryzon Genomics (ORY.MC), Zulia Biotech, and Cantero Therapeutics, a BridgeBio Pharma subsidiary.

Profile coming soon...

Murali Gopalakrishnan has responsibility for Neuroscience Search & Evaluation in Corporate Strategy Office at AbbVie. In prior roles, Murali held positions of increasing responsibility at Abbott / AbbVie leading discovery research programs across therapeutic areas including neuroscience, pain, nephrology and urology leading to the delivery of multiple clinical candidates to the R&D pipeline. At Abbott, Murali also led the Global External Research group & had responsibility for the China R&D Center in Shanghai while leading the Renal Discovery Research. He currently leads AbbVie's Neuroscience Search and Evaluation Group responsible for advancing external innovation opportunities across AbbVie's neuroscience areas of interest including psychiatry, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's diseases, ALS etc.) and migraine/pain. Murali obtained his undergraduate training in pharmacy, PhD in Pharmacology with post-doctoral training in molecular biology and also holds an M.B.A degree.

Dr. Kirpekar has extensive expertise in building bio-pharma pipelines and executing commercial strategies. As a Managing Partner at Lumina Life Sciences, he advises Investment funds, biotech companies and larger pharmaceutical clients navigate portfolio strategy development, investment decisions, partnering and financing discussions and early commercial planning.

Most recently Sahil served as the Chief Business Officer at atai Life Sciences where he oversaw the portfolio strategy, business development, early commercialisation and corporate communication functions.Previously, Sahil held multiple senior leadership positions at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for over eight years, where he built a successful pipeline in CNS, nephrology and oncology, closed more than USD 2.7 billion in transactions and worked on the successful commercial launch of multiple drugs. Throughout his career he has worked across geographies and markets in large and small companies – setting up teams and offices across the world, including London, Singapore and Shanghai.

He is a trained physician and holds an MPhil from the University of Cambridge (where he is subsequently an honorary lecturer).

Seth Lederman is a physician, scientist, drug-hunter, biopharmaceutical executive, and a co-founder of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Tonix, Dr. Lederman founded Targent Pharmaceuticals, which developed late-stage oncology drugs, including levoleucovorin. After Spectrum Pharmaceuticals acquired Targent’s assets, levoleucovorin was marketed as Fusilev® for advanced colorectal cancer, gaining significant market acceptance.

Prior to becoming a biopharma executive, Dr. Lederman served as an Associate Professor at Columbia University and directed basic science research in molecular immunology, infectious disease and the development of therapeutics for autoimmune diseases. His fundamental work on the CD40-Ligand (CD154) elucidated the molecular basis of T cell helper function and has led to the development of therapeutic candidates for autoimmune diseases and organ transplant rejection. In collaboration with Prof. David Baltimore (then at Rockefeller University and later MIT), Dr. Lederman identified and functionally characterized the CD40 signaling molecule, TRAF-3.

In addition to his research, Dr. Lederman served as attending physician in the Edward Daniels Arthritis and Autoimmunity Clinic on the Medical Service at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for several years. Dr. Lederman earned his MD from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and an AB from Princeton in Chemistry cum laude.

Srinivas Rao is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at AtaiBeckley. Dr. Rao has over 20 years of professional experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Prior to atai, Dr. Rao has held the titles of Chief Scientific, Medical, or Executive Officer at companies ranging from venture backed startups to vertically-integrated, publicly traded pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Rao completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He received his Ph.D. in neurobiology from Yale Graduate School and his M.D. from Yale School of Medicine. He holds both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Yale College and Yale Graduate School, respectively.

Profile coming soon...

CBT Advisors CEO Steve Dickman has worked in consulting and venture capital for more than twenty-five years. He founded CBT Advisors in 2003 and has worked on storytelling and strategy with nearly five hundred private biotechnology and life sciences clients. Much of the firm’s work focuses on drafting business sections for NASDAQ IPOs. More than one hundred clients have gone public, raising more than $13 billion. Previously, Steve was a venture capitalist with TVM Capital.

Sumant Kulkarni joined Canaccord Genuity in 2017 as a New York-based Managing Director covering Biotechnology stocks. His research focus is on biotech companies within the neuroscience space, where he was among the first analysts on Wall Street to specialize in this therapeutic area. Prior to joining Canaccord Genuity, Sumant was at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch where he covered biopharmaceutical stocks for over a decade as part of a top Institutional Investor-ranked team, and he was most recently a Director leading that firm’s Specialty Pharmaceuticals vertical. He started his career on the sell-side covering the Life Science Services sector at Jefferies.

Over the years, Sumant has become known for his in-depth biopharma knowledge that spans therapeutic areas/modalities, ability to boil down complex scientific concepts in terms of what they might mean for stocks, identifying stocks of under-followed companies, and applying a consistent/disciplined approach in his financial analyses. Sumant’s background includes an MBA, an MS in chemical engineering and academic research in biomedical engineering (with a focus in oncology and cardiology) from The Ohio State University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bangalore University, India.