Meet Our Faculty

Professor Craig Lindsley is an innovative scientist, project leader, director, inventor and editor with over 25 years-experience in drug discovery and development in both industry (Eli Lilly, Merck) and academia (Vanderbilt, Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery). He has a proven track record of delivering results; he has been involved in the discovery of over 15 preclinical candidates - with 6 successfully entering clinical trials and several still in various stages of clinical development. At Merck, Professor Lindsley oversaw 22 medicinal chemists and delivered 6 preclinical candidates for CNS and oncology programs. Professor Lindsley currently serves as the Executive Director of the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (WCNDD) at Vanderbilt. The WCNDD is an innovative drug discovery and development center researching pharmaceutical treatments to improve the quality of life for those suffering with central nervous system diseases/disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and schizophrenia – to name a few. At the WCNDD, Professor Lindsley has delivered 15 clinical candidates (with 2 more currently in the pipeline), been issued 115 US Patents, authored over 580 scientific publications and has been an invited speaker for over 100 international conferences. In addition, he was the founding Editor-in-Chief of ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2009-2020), served as the interim Editor-in-Chief of ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science (2020-2021) and is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2021-current). Professor Lindsley has been the recipient of many scientific awards and achievements - such as: inductee into the ACS MEDI Hall of Fame (2021), Fellow of the Royal Society for Chemistry, ASPET, National Academy of Inventors and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Kristen earned her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder and later served as an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Cal Poly State University, where she taught Organic Chemistry, Neurochemistry, and the Chemistry of Drugs and Poisons. After her 17-year-old son, Anders, developed schizophrenia—likely linked to high-potency cannabis use during early adolescence—she joined the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt University in 2018 to research new antipsychotic treatments. That same year, she delivered a TEDx talk titled Rewiring Revolution: Neuroplasticity’s Impact on Wellbeing. 
In 2019, Kristen tragically lost Anders to an accidental overdose following a severe decline in his mental health. Two years later, she redirected her career toward educating adolescents and parents about mental health vulnerabilities and their connection to substance use and self-harm. As Director of Outreach and Advocacy Programs and Assistant Professor of Research at the Warren Center, she presented nationwide to youth, families, law enforcement, legislators, and recovery communities. She also created the multi–award-winning youth documentary Speaking Through Me (released August 2023). In 2024, she appeared on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, in a Kate Snow segment, and on News Nation with Elizabeth Vargas to discuss the rising psychosis risks associated with high-potency cannabis. 
Driven to reach even more young people, Kristen founded the nonprofit 22 Forever in memory of Anders. As President and Executive Director, she delivers adolescent brain health presentations nationally and internationally and leads development of a turnkey middle-school brain health curriculum focused on mental health and substance-use disorder prevention. 

Aaron M. Bender earned his Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry from the University of Michigan in 2016 and subsequently joined the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (WCNDD) at Vanderbilt University as a postdoctoral scholar. Upon completion of his postdoctoral training, Aaron remained at Vanderbilt as a Research Assistant Professor at the WCNDD. In 2025, Aaron joined MapLight Therapeutics as an Associate Director of Medicinal Chemistry. His research interests are in medicinal chemistry, particularly the development of therapeutics targeting G protein-coupled receptors, and organic methodology. Aaron has worked with multiple drug discovery teams which have advanced molecules to the clinic for a range of central nervous system disorders and is currently part of additional programs at the preclinical development stage. Aaron is an author on over 40 research and review publications and has contributed to numerous patent applications.  

Olivier Boutaud earned his Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology from the Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France. After a post-doctoral position at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, USA, he joined the Faculty in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at Vanderbilt. There, he spent 20 years studying the pharmacology of NSAIDs. During this time, he discovered a new platelet phenotype associated with high reactivity and led a clinical study to assess this phenotype as a possible marker for high risk for heart attack. He was also associated with several clinical studies investigating the effects of paracetamol, aspirin and resveratrol in neurological and cardiovascular disorders. Another interest of Olivier was the involvement of reactive dicarbonyls in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. This work culminated with Olivier leading a phase 1 clinical study investigating the safety of a natural scavengers of reactive dicarbonyl in humans. In 2020, Olivier moved to the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt University, where he directs the laboratory of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK). He currently serves as the Senior Director of DMPK for the Warren Center. Olivier is the author of over 100 research and review publications and is an inventor in 8 patents.  

Dr. Colleen Niswender is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology and the Warren and Senior Director of Molecular Pharmacology for the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery (WCNDD) at Vanderbilt University. She received her Ph.D. in pharmacology at Vanderbilt and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Washington. Dr. Niswender has worked with WCNDD, a team-based scientific drug discovery group, since 2004 and has extensive experience with molecular pharmacology, cell signaling and drug discovery. She is the author of 265 publications, has contributed to numerous patents and has been involved in multiple drug discovery teams to advance small molecules for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. One candidate is currently progressing to Phase II clinical testing and several others are in the final stages preclinical development before moving to Phase I. Dr. Niswender has been involved with numerous WCNDD partnerships, including those with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Astrazeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ancora Innovation, Acadia and Neumora. She has also assembled a team of scientists focused on drug development and target validation for neurodevelopmental disorders, including Rett syndrome, Pitt Hopkins syndrome and Neurofibromatosis Type 1. Dr. Niswender was recently awarded the 2022 Scientific Achievement Award in Drug Discovery and Development from the American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). She currently serves as the President of the Academic Drug Discovery Consortium and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Drug Discovery and Development Division at ASPET.

Dr. Rachel Crouch received her Pharm.D. from Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy in 2012 and her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University in 2016 as graduate of the Lipscomb-Vanderbilt Pharm.D./Ph.D. Dual Degree Partnership Program. Her Ph.D. and postdoctoral training both took place within the WCNDD, where her research focused on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics associated with the drug-metabolizing enzyme aldehyde oxidase. Following her postdoctoral training, Dr. Crouch joined the Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty at Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy in 2017. Dr. Crouch now mentors Pharm.D. and Pharmaceutical Sciences master's students on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics research at Lipscomb, and she teaches in various courses included in the Pharmaceutical Sciences curriculum of both the Pharm.D. and master's programs.