Joseph Trebley
2026 Distinguished Pharmacy Alumni Awardee
Joseph Trebley
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Monon Bioventures, LLC and Scioto Biosciences
For me, Purdue wasn’t just an education to be earned in the classroom and lab. It was a community focused on real-life discovery and impact. Participating in that community is what I loved and still love the most about Purdue. Boiler Up!
Education
BS 2001, Chemistry, Wabash College
PhD 2006, Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University
Career Highlights
– Received a PhD from Purdue University School of Pharmacy
– Drove technology commercialization and licensing at Purdue Research Foundation, closing 10+ licensing deals in under a year and managing IP portfolios generating more than $1M annually
– Built and led Indiana University’s Spin Up Program™, launching 24 startup companies that collectively raised tens of millions in follow-on funding and won multiple venture awards
– Secured and managed over $10M in SBIR/STTR funding across multiple ventures, serving as PI and translating academic science into venture-backed companies
– Co-founded and scaled Scioto Biosciences, raising over $20M in equity and non-dilutive funding, advancing SB-121 from licensed IP to IND and completed Phase Ib clinical trial published in Nature Scientific Reports
Biography
Joseph P. Trebley, PhD, is a life sciences entrepreneur, executive, and translational research leader whose career bridges academic discovery and real-world therapeutic impact. A Purdue University–trained medicinal chemist, Dr. Trebley has spent more than two decades advancing biomedical innovations from early science through commercialization, clinical development, and manufacturing.
He is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Monon Bioventures, LLC, and Scioto Biosciences, where he has raised over $25 million in venture and non-dilutive funding and led Scioto’s lead program from licensed intellectual property to IND clearance and a successfully completed Phase Ib clinical trial in autism spectrum disorder, with results published in Nature Scientific Reports. His work has helped position Indiana as a growing hub for life science innovation, including securing incentives for a biomanufacturing facility in Fishers, Indiana.
Previously, Dr. Trebley served in senior commercialization roles at Indiana University and the Purdue Research Foundation, where he launched and supported dozens of university spin-out companies, managed high-value intellectual property portfolios, and closed numerous licensing and venture transactions. Collectively, these efforts generated more than $10 million in follow-on funding and multiple award-winning startups.
In addition to his entrepreneurial leadership, Dr. Trebley is a dedicated educator and mentor who has taught graduate-level courses in translational science, entrepreneurship, and technology realization. He remains deeply committed to strengthening the academic-to-industry pipeline and mentoring the next generation of scientists and innovators—values rooted in his training at Purdue University’s School of Pharmacy.