30 Psychedelics Executives, Scientists & Influencers To Watch In 2024 And Beyond

The emerging psychedelics industry is expanding rapidly across the globe. With research demonstrating promising therapeutic potential for substances like psilocybin and MDMA to treat mental health conditions, this sector has attracted growing attention and investment. 

Recent research data indicates the global psychedelic drugs market was valued at $2.6 billion in 2022 and is forecasted to reach $7.1 billion by 2032, reflecting massive growth at a CAGR of 10.9%.

Key players and influential figures worldwide are helping drive innovation and acceptance around psychedelic medicines. Trailblazers in this industry come from diverse backgrounds including scientists, investors, advocates, publicists, journalists and policy reformers.  

To track developments in this burgeoning field, we’ve spotlighted some of the most impactful international executives and influencers. From pioneering researchers leading clinical trials to outspoken thought leaders campaigning for legal access, these individuals represent the energy propelling psychedelics forward.

The following list of 30 standouts includes some of the biggest movers and shakers from various countries and companies, ranging from emerging startups to major corporations whose work collectively underscores the global scope of this mental health movement centered on psychedelic therapy. Though not exhaustive, this cross-section of global leaders provides key insights into progress and potential yet to come.

Janet Qi

An entrepreneurial force with 15+  years in corporate finance and strategic management roles, Janet Qi helms PurMinds Neuropharma's quest to pioneer new treatments for neurological conditions. Qi's razor-sharp business acumen and passion for improving patient lives underpin her trailblazing work at the intersection of science and business.

Dr. Anna Yusim

Dr. Anna Yusim is a Stanford and Yale-educated psychiatrist and executive coach. Her private practice clients include Forbes 500 CEOs, Olympic athletes, A-list actors and actresses and chairs of academic departments at top universities. Yusim is currently creating a Spirituality & Mental Health Center at Yale Medical School. She is a best-selling author and has published numerous academic articles, book chapters, scientific abstracts, book reviews and articles for the lay public on psychiatry and psychedelic medicine. A frequent contributor to CNN, Fox News, ABC, and NBC, Yusim has been a guest on 500+ national and international TV shows, radio programs and podcasts.

Kristina Spionjak

Kristina Spionjak is co-founder and managing director of HLTH Communications, a leading North American investor relations and communications agency serving healthcare clients. Based in the UK, Kristina is a sought-after events and public relations professional who has repeatedly been recognized as one of the #9 on Quoted Top 100 PR List for high-quality interactions with reporters and proven success in securing media coverage.

Marik Hazan

Marik Hazan is an engineer, advocate, entrepreneur, investor and self-proclaimed anthropofuturist who works in "moonshot" and contrarian sectors. He is the founding partner of psychedelic startups incubator Tabula Rasa Ventures and runs the massive psychedelics conference PSYCHED. Hazan is also executive director of the Energia Foundation, an organization dedicated to leveraging novel treatments “for increasing the efficacy of human coordination.”

Shayla Love

Shayla Love is a freelance science journalist and a staff reporter for The Guardian and Psyche. Starting as a senior staff writer at VICE, Love has extensively covered psychedelic research, culture, ethics and business. Her work has also appeared in publications like The New Yorker, The New York Times, WIRED, Scientific American and Harper's. Love holds a master’s degree from Columbia University in science, environment and medicine journalism, and has received several awards and fellowships including The Ferriss-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship.

Doug Drysdale

Doug Drysdale holds over 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector, as well as a bachelor’s degree in microbial and molecular biology from the University of East Anglia (U.K.) Within his first year [2020] as chairman and CEO of clinical-stage psychedelics biotech Cybin Inc. CYBN, Drysdale rebuilt the management team and board of directors and formed a 220-person sales team with fully supporting functions. His efforts increased the pharmaceutical company’s value from $80 million to around $800 million. Under Drysdale’s leadership, Cybin raised $465 million in capital. 

Bia Labate

Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate (or Bia Labate) is co-founder and executive director of the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and serves as Public Education and Culture Specialist at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS.) A Brazilian anthropologist and author based in San Francisco, Labate has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Campinas (Brazil) and her main areas of interest are plant medicines, drug policy, shamanism, ritual, religion and social justice. 

Dr. David Meiri

Dr. David (Dedi) Meiri holds an M.Sc. in biochemistry and a Ph.D. in plant biotechnology from Tel Aviv University. His research focuses on the therapeutic potential of naturally occurring cannabinoids and other bioactive components in cannabis, algae, mushrooms and other medicinal plants. Meiri’s main current research interest is how these components affect various types of cancer, inflammatory diseases and disorders of the nervous system including epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.

Nataliya Vorobyeva

Nataliya Vorobyeva is a neuroscientist with an extensive background in mechanisms of memory and immunogenetics. She is co-founder and Chief Science Officer/COO at Hive Bio, a global holistic network of mental health centers with medical licensing and “the highest standard of care” in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Vorobyeva is passionate about novel holistic approaches in medicine, brain & body resetting practices, mental health and animal wellbeing.

Dr. Joseph Tucker

Dr. Joseph (Joe) Tucker is presently CEO and director of psychedelics biotech Enveric Biosciences ENVB. He is a seasoned executive who has built several biotech companies like Stem Cell Therapeutics (later acquired by Trillium Therapeutics TRIL) and the University of Calgary’s startup Epimeron Inc. (later acquired by new Willow Biosciences.) Holding a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Calgary, Tucker previously acted as a healthcare analyst for investment banks and worked in tech commercialization.

Amanda Siebert

Amanda Siebert is a cannabis and psychedelics author and journalist focusing on the intersections of culture, health, science and business. She published “Psyched: Seven Cutting-Edge Psychedelics Changing the World” and “The Little Book of Cannabis: How Marijuana Can Improve Your Life.” Siebert is a contributing writer at Forbes and Leafly, as well as co-founder and editor-in-chief at Inside the Jar. Her work has appeared in publications like the New York Times, Vice and the psychedelics-focused Healing Maps.

Mattha Busby

Mattha Busby is a freelance journalist who has written extensively about psychedelics for publications including The Guardian, Vice and DoubleBlind. In 2023, he helped produce a short documentary film based on one of his articles about the dark side of psychedelic tourism. His podcast, Uncharted Territory, explores the psychedelic experience and unpacks the global pro-mushroom culture shift. He wrote, for Thames & Hudson, the 2022-published “Should All Drugs Be Legalized?”

Dennis Walker

Dennis Walker is the founder and sole employee of Mycopreneur, a media platform covering the global mushroom industry in its many facets. Mycopreneur has bootstrapped itself to success within the rapidly-growing mushroom and psychedelic spaces by publishing 150 podcasts with mushroom entrepreneurs in 25 countries on 6 continents, contributing written journalism pieces to platforms like High Times and Lucid News, accruing 20 million+ video views, and regularly appearing at major international conferences and events. Mycopreneur was distinguished as “Media Company of the Year” at the 2023 Wonderland Awards in Miami, where Walker also was recognized as “Reporter of the Year.”

Graham Pechenik

Graham Pechenik is a cannabis and psychedelics specialized lawyer and founder of Calyx Law. An active advocate against federal proposals to ban psychoactive substances, Pechenik builds on a 10+ experience defending some of the country's most valuable patents, representing companies in the agricultural, chemical, pharmaceutical, biotech and technology industries.

Rick Doblin

Rick Doblin is a longtime psychedelics activist and founder of the legendary nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies back in 1986. Through the association’s for-profit biotech business, MAPS PBC (now renamed Lykos Therapeutics), Doblin and the research team have advanced MDMA-assisted therapy to the extent by which it is currently awaiting FDA approval to become the first federally legal psychedelic therapy.

Jules Evans 

Jules Evans is the founder of the educational platform Ecstatic Integration and director of the Challenging Psychedelic Experiences Project, a research and public communication project on psychedelic and ecstatic ethics, integration and harm reduction. Also a philosopher, Evans is the author of several books and has featured his work in The Times, The Economist, The Spectator, New Statesman, Aeon, BBC Radio 4, BBC 2, Audible and the Financial Times

Prof. David Nutt 

Professor David Nutt is a longtime cognitive sciences, addiction, cannabis and psychedelics researcher and author. A renowned neuropsychopharmacologist, some of Nutt’s most recent work includes founding Drug Science, a U.K.-based nonprofit organization working to provide an evidence base free from political or commercial influence, “creating the foundation for sensible and effective drug laws and equipping the public, media and policymakers with the knowledge and resources to enact positive change.”

Dr. Peter Grinspoon

Peter Grinspoon is a primary care doctor and cannabis and addiction specialist at Harvard Medical School. Author of numerous books and articles, Grinspoon offers coaching and consulting services and is also a media personality, featuring in The New York Times, Time, NPR, Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times and C-SPAN, among others.

Dr. Nolan Williams 

Dr. Nolan Williams is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. His recent research project on ibogaine-magnesium-assisted therapy for the treatment of Special Operation Veterans with traumatic brain injury from repeated blast exposures has recently been published in the Nature journal and represents a major advancement in the field of psychedelics’ potential for neuro-rehabilitation.

Genevieve and Steve Jurvetson

The Jurvetson Foundation is a major supporter and investor in research on psychedelic-assisted therapies, among other moonshots in mental health toward ending Veteran suicide, protecting human rights and addressing climate change. 

Genevieve chairs the foundation and co-founded AI-powered recruiting startup Fetcher and holds years of experience in investment banking and management.

Steve is a co-founder of Future Ventures and DFJ, as well as an early VC investor in Tesla TSLA, SpaceX, Planet and Commonwealth Fusion.

Reilly Capps

Reilly Capps is the editorial director of HealingMaps, a nonprofit organization acting both as an educational resource and as an advisor to those seeking psychedelic-assisted therapies. Capps has also written about psychedelics for Rooster Magazine, The Washington Post, The Telluride Daily Planet, LucidNews, 5280, The Chacruna Institute, The Third Wave and the MAPS Bulletin. A licensed EMT, he used to answer 911 calls on the ambulance in Boulder, where he learned how drugs affect a community.

Payton Nyquvest 

Payton Nyquvest is a fervorous mental health advocate and the founder, chair and CEO of Numinus Wellness NUMIF, a dynamic biotech that works closely with other organizations -including MAPS- on clinical trials assessing psychedelic-assisted therapies toward advancing research, plus offers mental health services and facilitators’ training.  

Dr. Andrew Huberman 

Dr. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and podcaster. An Associate Professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine, since 2021 he hosts the Huberman Lab podcast, serving as an educational source in a wide span of topics including psychedelics.

Dr. Max Wolff 

Dr. Max Wolff is head of psychotherapy training and research at European research, education and policy think tank MIND Foundation. A psychologist, researcher and author, Wolff is also advancing psychedelic-augmented psychotherapy at the university hospital Charite Berlin.

Amanda Feilding 

Amanda Feilding, otherwise nicknamed "The Queen of Psychedelics," is a longtime advocate and researcher on the healing potential of psychedelics. She has founded Beckley Psytech, an umbrella for several other related organizations advancing psychedelics policy reform, research, education, and even a retreat offering.

Dr. Rachel Yehuda

Dr. Rachel Yehuda is a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience and a recognized leader in traumatic stress studies. A copious author in that and other subjects, Yehuda is also director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, which includes a PTSD clinical research program and The Yehuda Lab. Yehuda received her PhD in Psychology and Neurochemistry and her MS in Biological Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and completed her postdoctoral training in Biological Psychiatry in the Psychiatry Department at Yale Medical School.

Dr. Mason Marks 

Mason Marks, MD, JD currently develops as a specialized author on the intersection of medicine and law. He is visiting Professor of Law at Harvard University, Law Professor at Florida State University, and teaches Health Tech & Constitutional Law at Yale’s Information Society Project and Leiden University’s Center for Law and Digital Technology. Additionally, he runs the free, informative newsletter Psychedelic Week.

David B. Yaden 

David B. Yaden is a renowned psychedelics researcher and author. Having worked with famed and recently deceased pioneer psychedelics scientist Dr. Roland Griffiths, Yaden recently received a professorship fund at the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research toward, precisely, continuing the research on psychedelics and secular spirituality and well-being.

Dr. Robin Carhart Harris 

Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris is a renowned psychedelics neuroscientist and psychologist. Originally starting in the U.K. and now being the Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor of Neurology & Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, Carhart-Harris leads the Carhart-Harris Lab, a worldwide academic collective that, through principles of Open Science (open access, resources, data, methods and hypothesis sharing) researches on the nature of consciousness and mental health, including how it can be positively impacted on via psychedelic therapy and its mechanisms of action.

Photo: Benzinga edit with photo by Acontent_creator and BCFC on Shutterstock.