A $200,000 gift to the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences from Pharmaron Inc., a multinational drug and research company, will support fellowships for PhD in Pharmacological Sciences students and the “Stephen Hanessian Distinguished Lecture Series.”
The gift is provided in recognition of Dr. Stephen Hanessian’s mentorship to Pharmaron Inc. scientists over the years and his continued contributions to the success of the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dr. Hanessian is a Distinguished Professor in the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences and a founding member of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, which was established in 2007. He played a key role in establishing graduate-level programs in medicinal chemistry, as well as in building strong relationships between UC Irvine and the pharmaceutical industry. At his invitation, industry scientists visited the campus frequently to give tutorial lectures, engage with faculty, and meet with students to share insights into drug discovery and development. These partnerships resulted in industry-sponsored fellowships and lectureships, increasing visibility and support for the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and its graduate students. One of the longest standing of these partnerships is with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which has sponsored numerous graduate student fellowships for Vertex Scholars and the annual Vertex Day event for over 15 years. Another partnership created by Dr. Hanessian is the Ionis Pharmaceuticals lectureship.
The “Stephen Hanessian Distinguished Lecture Series” will be held in 2026 and 2027. During the series, acclaimed speakers from throughout the pharmaceutical industry and academia will share their knowledge with the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences community.
“We are grateful for this gift, which is critical to supporting the training of future scientists. We will name two meritorious pre-doctoral students as Pharmaron Fellows. We look forward to future collaborations between our school and Pharmaron Inc.,” said Founding Dean Jan Hirsch.
“We thank Dr. Boliang Lou, CEO of Pharmaron Inc., for his vision and steadfast commitment to supporting academic excellence through this generous gift,” shared Dr. Hanessian.
