William (Bill) J. Martin ’95 Ph.D., Global Therapeutic Area Head of Neuroscience at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, will receive the distinguished Horace Mann Medal at the Brown University Doctoral Ceremony during Commencement weekend, recognizing his transformative contributions to neuroscience and pharmaceutical innovation.

In his current role, Martin sets the vision for Johnson & Johnson’s neuroscience work. He leads a team focused on the discovery and development of transformative treatments for individuals with serious neuropsychiatric, neurodegenerative and ophthalmic disorders. 

“Bill Martin has used his talents to improve the world and to alleviate suffering caused by disorders and diseases of the brain. His contributions to science, drug development and the scientific community are a great testament to the impact that alumni of the Brown Graduate School can have on the world,” says nominator Diane Lipscombe, the Thomas J. Watson, Sr. Professor of Science, Professor of Neuroscience, and the Reliance Dhirubhai Ambani Director of the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science.

Pioneering Research at Brown

Martin received his doctorate from Brown in 1995 in experimental psychology. His research focused on cannabinoid receptors in nociceptive processing—investigating how the nervous system processes harmful stimuli. This work proved foundational in establishing the critical role of cannabinoid receptors as key regulators of pain transmission and perception in the thalamus of the brain. 

Scientists now recognize that endocannabinoids influence numerous physiological functions, including memory, mood, appetite, metabolism, sleep, pain response, thermoregulation, and immunity. Martin’s graduate research has helped establish brain science as the cross-disciplinary field it is today.

Building on Early Success

Following his doctoral work, Martin completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Keck Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco, where he investigated neuronal mechanisms underlying pain, its modulation, and pathways leading to chronic pain. This research contributed significantly to developing medications for chronic pain conditions that affect billions of people globally.

Martin's academic excellence earned him highly competitive fellowships from both the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health during his graduate studies, followed by a prestigious NIH fellowship supporting his postdoctoral research.

From Research to Industry Leadership

Martin's career trajectory exemplifies the bridge between academic research and pharmaceutical innovation. At Merck, he directed a large research team exploring novel blockers of sodium channels in the brain and TRPV1 receptors (which detect and regulate body temperature), pursuing improved treatments for chronic pain.

As executive director at Theravance Biopharma, Martin led research project selection and planning and held leadership roles in corporate and business development as well as drug discovery and development, especially for neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory disorders, while also serving on licensing and strategic partnership teams.

At the next step in his career, Martin became a member of the founding management team for Blackthorn Therapeutics, where he served successively as chief scientific officer, head of research and development, president, COO, and ultimately CEO. At Blackthorn, he helped to create an integrated computational platform to accelerate discovery, translation, and development of novel therapeutics for neuropsychiatric disorders.

“Bill has forged a brilliant career, the most noteworthy of which include his success as an excellent basic neuroscientist, as an innovative and extremely influential leader in the development of therapeutics for neurological and psychiatric disorders, and as an energetic advocate for the world’s neuroscience and brain health communities,” says nominator Barry W. Connors, the L. Herbert Ballou University Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience and Professor of Neuroscience (Research).

Martin recently reflected on his contributions to neuroscience in the journal Nature Neuroscience. “Even a few decades ago, I think it was clear that we needed to approach the brain from multiple angles —cognitive, molecular, systems-based approaches —and the neuroscience community at Brown afforded all those opportunities.” 

Beyond Research: Mentorship and Advocacy

Martin remains dedicated to mentoring emerging scientists through initiatives like the Society for Neuroscience's Neuroscience Scholars Program. He was a founding Board member of The Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare. and was recently elected to serve on the Neuroscience section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

His prolific academic contributions continue, with numerous research articles and reviews spanning basic neuroscience, neuropharmacology, therapeutics, and AI-based tools for behavioral phenotypes. He holds several patents, including a recent "Machine learning-based diagnostic classifier."

A sought-after speaker at conferences and universities, Martin addresses topics ranging from novel drug development strategies to careers in biotech, global science advocacy, AI in healthcare, and clinical trial processes.

He extends his influence beyond traditional academic channels through podcasts, news articles, and blog posts. His perspectives were featured on the History of the Society for Neuroscience 50th Anniversary podcast series and in Nature Neuroscience's 25th anniversary celebration.

Martin recently said of his contributions, “...behind everything we do, there is a person, and that person is connected to other people, and making one person’s life better makes many people’s lives better. And when we make many people’s lives better, we do improve society.”