Rodrigo Cristofoletti, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmaceutics in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy and an emerging leader in translational pharmacology and model-informed drug development, has been named a 2026 UF Research Foundation Professor.
Cristofoletti is among 33 faculty members across UF to receive the award, which includes a three-year annual salary supplement and a one-time $3,000 research allocation. The UF Research Foundation, or UFRF, professorships are awarded to tenured faculty with a distinguished, current record of research.
Since the program’s inception in 1997, the foundation has recognized more than 1,000 researchers whose scholarship contributes to UF’s national and international impact.
“Receiving the UF Research Foundation Professorship is a tremendous honor,” Cristofoletti said. “It is a recognition of not only my individual work, but also the students, postdoctoral fellows, staff, collaborators and mentors who have helped build our research program. This award validates the type of interdisciplinary science we are pursuing has value for the university and the broader scientific community.”
Cristofoletti joined the UF College of Pharmacy in 2019 and established himself as one of the most innovative and impactful translational scientists in the field. He was attracted to UF’s uniquely collaborative environment, where quantitative modeling, drug development, regulatory science and translational research intersect.
Cristofoletti’s research integrates pharmacometrics, systems pharmacology and human-relevant experimental models to improve the predictability of drug development. By combining advanced tissue models with quantitative translational approaches, his work informs clinical performance, regulatory decisions and precision therapeutics.
“Our goal is to connect experimental biology and computational modeling to generate more predictive and clinically relevant insights for drug development,” Cristofoletti said. “This can help reduce uncertainty in drug development, support more efficient clinical and regulatory decisions and ultimately contribute to safer and more effective therapies.”
Cristofoletti’s research has reached new heights in the past five years, as he has secured more than $8 million in external funding as a principal or co-principal investigator. His funding portfolio includes grants from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and multiple industry partners. Additionally, he has authored 110 peer-reviewed publications in leading journals across pharmaceutical sciences, clinical pharmacology and drug development. In 2024, he co-edited the CRC Press book, “The Art and Science of Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetics Modeling.” Over time, he has expanded his lab, allowing him to mentor a large cohort of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty.
“What sets Dr. Cristofoletti apart is not only the productivity and funding success of his program, but its clear vision and trajectory,” said Peter W. Swaan, Ph.D., M.Pharm., dean of the UF College of Pharmacy. “His work is redefining how academia, industry and regulatory agencies approach drug development by advancing predictive, human-relevant and mechanistically grounded frameworks. This is precisely the type of forward-looking, high-impact research that aligns with the mission and aspirations of UF.”
UF Research will recognize Cristofoletti and the 2026 UFRF Professors at a university event later this year.