Dr. John Renger

Dr. Renger joined Cerevel Therapeutics as Chief Scientific Officer in 2019 after leaving Imbrium Therapeutics L.P., where he served as vice president of research and development and regulatory affairs, leading the company’s overall scientific direction and clinical development strategy. Previously, Dr. Renger held roles of increasing responsibility at Merck & Co. over a 15-year tenure, most recently serving as associate vice president.  While at Merck Dr. Renger led a team of scientists dedicated to the approval of a first-in-class novel treatment for insomnia, Belsomra, that received approvals in both the US and Japan.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Renger was a research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Learning and Memory and has previously held research positions at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Wako Shi, Saitama, Japan. Dr. Renger earned his Ph.D. in biological sciences with a focus on neurogenetics at the University of Iowa where he also completed his B.S. in biology.  Dr. Renger has published numerous abstracts and more than 144 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters.  Dr. Renger participates on or previously participated on various boards of directors and has been a scientific advisor for multiple companies.