Joanna Stanicka, Ph.D., is scientific co-founder and CEO of Axonis Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company developing first-in-class therapies to treat unmet neurological needs. Axonis’ mission is to transform the therapeutic landscape and improve outcomes for people living with chronic neurological disorders, through the development of its KCC2 therapies for patients with unmet medical needs.

As a Harvard-trained expert with 15+ years in biochemistry and neuroscience, Joanna has multidisciplinary training in genetics, biochemistry, cell biology and neuroscience and is passionate about inventing and developing breakthrough therapies for incurable neurological diseases. She joined Axonis as Chief Scientific Officer and was appointed CEO within six months, reflecting her scientific leadership and laser-focused vision to make KCC2 drugs a reality for patients. 

Since becoming CEO in 2019, Joanna has led Axonis through significant growth, raising over $157 million in funding. This includes non-dilutive support from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as a $34 million seed round and a $115 million Series A financing co-led by Cormorant Asset Management and venBio Partners in 2024. She has built the company’s scientific and operational foundation and is a co-inventor on six patents.

Prior to Axonis, Joanna conducted postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Prof. Zhigang He at Harvard Medical School, where she developed novel approaches to neuroregeneration and neuroprotection by applying insights from cancer and growth signaling pathways. She spent over a decade studying mechanisms of cell growth, death, and repair across disease models.

Joanna completed her undergraduate studies at University College Cork, where she was the recipient of the Irish Cancer Society Research Scholarship to support her graduate work. She earned a Ph.D. in Cancer Biology also at University College Cork, where she later undertook postdoctoral research work in Cell Biology.

She is the recipient of multiple industry innovation awards, including Golden Tickets from Boehringer Ingelheim, Astellas Pharma, and Lundbeck, as well as the MassChallenge 2019 award. She has also been recognized with a Massachusetts Next Generation Award for female CEOs in life sciences.