Our team
Our laboratory is a unique training environment for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, professional pharmacy students, and undergraduate students that blends aspiring researchers with the qualities of cooperation, motivation, and willingness to learn. We align in applying innovative medicinal chemistry and fluorine chemistry towards drug discovery and natural products. Previous members of our group have received prestigious, nationally competitive fellowships and awards, and they have taken jobs in the pharmaceutical industry, the chemical industry, and academia. Our group has alumni working as drug discovery scientists, chemical researchers, professors, medical science liaisons, clinical pharmacists, nuclear pharmacists, physicians, and regulatory affairs specialists.
If you are interested in our research, scientific discoveries, or want to join us, you have come to the right place!
Meshal A. Alghamdi
Graduate Student
Pharm.D. Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
Division of Medicinal Chemistry
University of Mississippi
maalgham@go.olemiss.edu
Interests: Medicinal chemistry, synthetic and computational chemistry, clinical pharmacy
Amena Begum
Graduate Student
M.Sc. University of Dhaka
Division of Medicinal Chemistry
University of Mississippi
abegum@go.olemiss.edu
Interests: Synthesis of natural products, fluorine chemistry, drug design and methods development
Dan Mi Huynh
Graduate Student
B.S. University of Mississippi
Division of Medicinal Chemistry
University of Mississippi
dmhuynh@go.olemiss.edu
Interests: Medicinal chemistry
Baharul Islam
Graduate Student
M.Pharm. University of Development Alternative
Division of Medicinal Chemistry
University of Mississippi
bislam@go.olemiss.edu
Interests: Drug discovery, method development, fluorine chemistry, and medicinal chemistry
Alumni
Graduate Students
Amna T. Adam, B.S. Montclair State University, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, University of Mississippi, 2020, Recent position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University with Professor Merdad Shamloo, School of Medicine | Recent position: Senior Scientist, Biomea Fusion, Palo Alto, CA
Reem A. Alkhodier, B.S. King Saud University, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, University of Mississippi, 2022 | Recent position: Assistant Professor, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
Maali D. Alshammari, B.S. King Saud University, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, University of Mississippi, 2022 | Recent position: Assistant Professor, University of Hail, Saudi Arabia
Francis J. Barrios, B.S. University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, Purdue University, 2013 | Recent position: Assistant Professor, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
Changho Han, B.S. Sogang University, Seoul, Korea, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, 2013, Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University with Professor Craig W. Lindsey, Department of Pharmacology | Recent position: Drug Discovery Scientist, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Robert A. Hazlitt, B.S. Baylor College, Ph.D. Organic Chemistry, Purdue University, 2016, Postdoctoral Fellow, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN | Recent position: Medicinal Chemist, Loxo Oncology, Inc., Boulder, CO
Mark V. Riofski, B.S. University of Iowa, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, 2013, Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University with Professor Harold H. Kung, Department of Chemical Engineering | Recent position: Senior Product Development Chemist, 3M, St. Paul, MN
Munia F. Sowaileh, M.Sc. Jordan Univdersity of Science and Technology, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry, University of Mississippi, 2018, Postdoctoral Fellow, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN | Recent position: Medicinal Chemist, Loxo Oncology, Inc., Boulder, CO
James R. Woods, B.S. Michigan State University, Ph.D. Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, 2014, Postdoctoral Fellow, Rice University with Professor K. C. Nicolaou, Department of Chemistry | Recent position: Research Scientist, ImmunoGen, Inc., Waltham, MA
Postdoctoral Fellows
Jinu Philip John, Ph.D. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks with Professor Alexei Novikov, Postdoctoral Fellow, Purdue University, 2010–2012 | Recent position: Plant Chemist, DSM, Lafayette, IN
Mantasha Idrisi, Ph.D. Aligarh Muslim University with Professor Mohammad Shahid, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Mississippi, 2021 | Recent position: Postdoctoral Fellow, National Center for Natural Products Research, University, MS
Hari R. Khatri, Ph.D. Purdue University with Professor Alex Wei, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Mississippi, 2016–2018 | Recent position: Senior Scientist, Universal Display Company, New Castle, DE
Eun Hoo Kim, Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University with Professor Anthony Pearson, Postdoctoral Fellow, Purdue University, 2010–2012 | Recent position: Assistant Professor, Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC
Alex L. Nguyen, Ph.D. Louisiana State University with Professor Graca Vicente, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Mississippi, 2016–2017 | Recent position: Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University, Alexandria, LA
Thanh-Thanh Claire Tran, Ph.D. University of Mississippi with Professor Ikhlas Khan, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Mississippi, 2020 | Recent position: Operations Specialist, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Social Circle, GA