Dr. Hannestad has more than 20 years of experience in the field of neuroscience at both academic and biopharmaceutical organizations and is a noted authority in PET imaging in neuroinflammatory and other neurological disorders including the effect of systemic factors on the brain.  Dr. Hannestad joined Alkahest from Denali Therapeutics, where he worked on the LRRK2 programs. Previously, at UCB Pharma he worked on two PD programs: the adenosine 2A receptor antagonist tozadenant and the alpha-synuclein modulator NPT200-11.

He received his MD from Universidad de Oviedo and a PhD from the University of Messina, and then completed a fellowship at UCLA and residency training in internal medicine and psychiatry at Duke University and Yale University.

In addition to his role at Alkahest, Dr. Hannestad also maintains a position as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine.