Deepali is a medicinal chemist with background in synthetic organic chemistry. She received her M.Sc. degree in organic chemistry from the University of Pune, India. After a stint at AMRI as a research scientist, she moved to KU Leuven where she received her PhD in organic chemistry under the guidance of Prof. Wim Dehaen, working on novel methods for the synthesis and resolution of helically chiral molecules with optoelectronic applications. She then moved to The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla as a postdoctoral research associate and worked on structure-based drug design of small molecule ligands for SMO and P-glycoprotein an efflux transporter involved in cancer multidrug resistance.

Prior to joining Octant, she worked as a medicinal chemistry scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb in Redwood City, CA in the small molecule drug discovery group (SMDD) contributing to hit-to-lead and lead op programs in the immuno-oncology therapeutic area. She has co-authored 15 publications from her PhD and postdoctoral work.

In her free time, Deepali enjoys cooking/trying different cuisines and exploring new places for hiking.