Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences offers undergraduate and graduate students unparalleled training for future careers in
pharmacy, medicine, and biomedical research. Our innovative, rigorous curriculum integrates concepts from biology, chemistry,
chemical engineering, pharmacology and physiology. Alumni pursue exciting professional opportunities that improve our society’s health
and well-being.

Pharmaceutical scientists are rapidly changing the field of drug discovery and development. Graduates of our program are well qualified to seek employment in the public and private sectors, or pursue graduate degrees such as PhD, MD, or PharmD.

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What are the Pharmaceutical Sciences?

Drug Discovery and Design

Drug Discovery and Design deals with the design and synthesis of new drug molecules. This Category Includes specialized fields of study such as medicinal chemistry, combinatorial chemistry, structural biology, identification of biological targets, and assay development to test drug candidates.

Drug Delivery

Drug Delivery is concerned with the design of dosage forms — such as tablets, injections or patches — that will deliver the drug to the site of action in a patient. The purpose is to ensure that the drug arrives in the right concentration and at the right time. Specialty fields within Drug Delivery include pharmaceutics, biomaterials, and pharmacokinetics.

Drug Action

Drug Action examines how the drug itself actually works in a living system, which is the definition of pharmacology. The action of the drug can be studied at the molecular level, in a cell, an organ, and in animals. Specialty fields within Drug Action include molecular biology, pharmacology, pharmacodynamics, toxicology, and biochemistry. Pharmaceutics, biomaterials, and pharmacokinetics.

Clinical Sciences

Clinical Sciences are concerned with the use of drugs in the treatment of diseases. Particular properties of new drugs — such as efficacy, adverse effects, drug-to-drug interaction, bioavailability — are determined in clinical trials in humans.

Cost Effectiveness of Medicine

Cost Effectiveness of Medicines (Pharmacoeconomics) examines the economic impact of using one drug rather than others, with regard to costs for the drug itself, patient management (e.g., physician visits, hospitalization), adherence and quality of life.

Drug Analysis

Drug Analysis involves separating, identifying, and quantifying the components of a sample. Analytical chemistry is an important component of all areas of the pharmaceutical sciences.

Regulatory Affairs

Regulatory Affairs promotes communication, understanding, and cooperation between scientists from industry and academia and the regulatory authorities worldwide who govern approval and distribution, by means of developing regulatory guidelines.

More and more, these categories are beginning to overlap. For example, a scientific engineer working in Drug Delivery needs to understand how toxicology affects Drug Action, and a chemist working in Drug Discovery and Design must know about the pharmacokinetics of Drug Delivery. For this reason, pharmaceutical scientists are required to have a broad base of knowledge in a variety of sciences.

Academic Programs

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty

NameTitleAccepting Graduate Students?Department(s)EmailPhone #Office
Amal Alachkar

Alachkar Lab
Professor of TeachingYesPharmaceutical Sciences aalachka@uci.edu

949.824.2591
Lauren Albrecht

Albrecht Lab
Assistant ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciencesl.albrecht@uci.edu949.824.9305
Claudia Benavente

Benavente Lab
Associate ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciences
Developmental & Cell Biology
claudia.benavente@uci.edu949.824.7845 108 Sprague Hall
John Chaput

Chaput Lab
ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciences
Chemistry
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
jchaput@uci.edu949.824.81492216 Natural Sciences 1
Olivier Civelli

Civelli Lab
Professor
Eric L. and Lila D. Nelson Chair in Neuropharmacology
YesPharmaceutical Sciences
Developmental & Cell Biology
ocivelli@uci.edu949.824.2522
Celia Goulding

Goulding Lab
ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciences
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
celia.goulding@uci.edu949.824.03372212 Natural Sciences 1
Stephen HanessianDistinguished ProfessorNoPharmaceutical Sciences
Chemistry
shanessi@uci.edu 949.824.54493134C Natural Sciences 1
Naoto HoshiAssociate ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciences
Physiology & Biophysics
nhoshi@uci.edu 949.824.0969
Mahtab Jafari

Jafari Lab
Professor
Equity Advisor
NoPharmaceutical Sciences
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
mjafari@uci.edu 949.824.01453232 McGaugh Hall
Young Jik Kwon

Kwon Lab
ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciences
Chemical & Materials Science
Biomedical Engineering
kwonyj@uci.edu 949.824.8714132 Sprague Hall
Andrej Luptak

Luptak Lab
Professor
Chair
YesPharmaceutical Sciences
Chemistry
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
aluptak@uci.edu 949.824.91322141 Natural Sciences II
Thomas Martinez

Martinez Lab
Assistant ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciences t.martinez@uci.edu 949.824.0943
David Mobley

Mobley Lab
Professor
Vice Chair
YesPharmaceutical Sciences
Chemistry
dmobley@uci.edu 949.824.63833134B Natural Sciences 1
Brian Paegel

Paegel Lab
ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciences
Chemistry
Biomedical Engineering
bpaegel@uci.edu 949.824.9368
Larry Plon
Assistant Adjunct ProfessorNoPharmaceutical Scienceslplon@uci.edu -231F Steinhaus Hall
Thomas Poulos
Distinguished ProfessorNoPharmaceutical Sciences
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
Chemistry
poulos@uci.edu 949.824.70202206 Natural Sciences I
Sam Schriner

Schriner Lab
Associate Professor of Teaching
Vice Chair
YesPharmaceutical Sciencesschriner@uci.edu 949.824.1653231C Steinhaus Hall
Benita Sjogren

Sjogren Lab
Assistant ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciencesjsjogren@uci.edu 101 Theory, Ste 100
Robert Spitale

Spitale Lab
*on leave (2022-23)
Founding Associate Dean of Research and ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciences
Chemistry
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
rspitale@uci.edu 949.824.76552214 Natural Sciences 1
Darci Trader

Trader Lab
Associate ProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciencesdtrader@uci.edu Reines Hall 3003
Qun-Yong ZhouProfessorYesPharmaceutical Sciencesqzhou@uci.edu 949.824.2232
Weian Zhao

Zhao Lab
ProfessorNoPharmaceutical Sciences
Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center
Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
weianz@uci.edu 949.824.97443027 Gross Hall