Sarah Kim, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pharmaceutics in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, is the recipient of a 2025 UF Excellence Award for Assistant Professors. One of UF’s top honors for junior faculty, only 10 are bestowed each year.
Kim, a practicing pharmacometrician with a background in applied mathematics, said receiving this recognition presents her with the opportunity to reflect on all the people who have supported her growth toward excellence.
“Being recognized with this prestigious award is a truly meaningful honor. It has given me a moment to reflect with deep gratitude on the amazing people around me — mentors, colleagues, collaborators, trainees and family — who have shaped my journey, both professionally and personally,” Kim said. “This recognition is deeply encouraging and serves as a reminder of how blessed I am to do the work I love, surrounded by an inspiring and supportive community. I’m living the dream.”
Kim was nominated for this honor by Peter Swaan, Ph.D., M.Pharm., dean and professor of the UF College of Pharmacy, who noted Kim’s affinity for both academic leadership and critical research.
“This is one of the most prestigious early-career honors at UF, and it reflects the university’s strong belief in Kim’s promise and contributions as a rising academic leader,” Swaan said. “The selection committee, composed of distinguished faculty across multiple disciplines, was clearly inspired by her work — an impressive feat given the exceptional pool of candidates.”
Kim teaches four courses within UF’s Pharm.D. and Ph.D. programs and serves as the course coordinator for Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics. Her effectiveness as an educator has been previously recognized with the 2023-24 UF College of Pharmacy Teaching and Service Award, which reflected the appreciation and glowing evaluations Kim receives from her students. Today, she remains committed to providing students with a world-class education guided by interdisciplinary curiosity and a love for learning.
“One of the core principles I strive to uphold in my teaching is fostering a learning-centered environment: one that encourages students to develop a deeper understanding and grow into successful, lifelong learners. In fields like mathematics and pharmacometrics, it’s especially important to understand the reasoning behind formulas rather than memorize them passively. Grasping the logic builds stronger comprehension and brings the joy of learning,” Kim said. “This marks my tenth year at the UF College of Pharmacy, following the completion of my Ph.D. in mathematics. I’m passionate about designing multidisciplinary curricula that bridge theoretical concepts with practical applications, enriching the learning experience across disciplines.”
In addition to her teaching duties, Kim leads several research projects that use data-driven computational modeling and artificial intelligence approaches to improve and accelerate drug development. Her team develops quantitative models based on existing data to simulate disease progression, understand disease mechanisms, analyze sources of variability and predict how patients may respond to therapeutic interventions.
Kim said these tools help inform the design of more efficient clinical trials, saving time and resources and reducing the number of participants required. Her current projects focus on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, type 1 diabetes, autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease and tuberculosis.
“Despite the challenges associated with this work, such as obtaining high-quality data and securing research funding, I remain passionate and motivated each day, thanks to the strong support of my collaborators. We share a common mission: to advance research that can ultimately help patients,” Kim said. “Additionally, working with talented people is a great joy, and it further fuels my passion for this work. Seeing the growth and achievements of my trainees is also an incredible privilege. Knowing that we are all striving toward this meaningful goal keeps me focused on overcoming obstacles and moving forward.” As a recipient of the UF Excellence Award for Assistant Professors, Kim received a $5,000 award to be used for travel, equipment, books, graduate student stipends and other research-related expenses.