Ekemini A.U. Riley, PhD

Dr. Ekemini A. U. Riley is the Founder and CEO of the Coalition for Aligning Science (CAS), where she leads the design and execution of large-scale, collaborative biomedical research initiatives spanning neurodevelopment, neurodegeneration, and neuropsychiatry. Since founding CAS in 2020, she has built and overseen an integrated philanthropic portfolio focused on accelerating scientific discovery and translating research insights into therapeutic impact.

She currently serves as Managing Director of Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA), a cross-disciplinary initiative that connects emerging science, technologies, and insights to advance autism research in new and catalytic ways.

Trained as a molecular biologist, Dr. Riley has built her career at the intersection of science, strategy, and philanthropy. She is known for developing innovative approaches to complex scientific challenges and for convening researchers, funders, and institutional leaders to drive aligned action.

Her work includes designing and facilitating multi-sector think tanks, shaping philanthropic investment strategies, launching research programs, and seeding multi-funder collaborations.

Previously, Dr. Riley led the design and launch of Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP), CAS’s flagship initiative, serving as its founding Managing Director. She also served on the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council (2020–2024), advising on institute-wide strategy, program planning, and funding priorities at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Earlier in her career, Dr. Riley was a Director at the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy, where she helped shape and co-lead the center’s medical research practice across oncology, circulatory disease, and neurodegeneration.

She earned a BA in Natural Sciences from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in Molecular Medicine from the University of Maryland Baltimore.