Ahmed Awad, M.Sc.Pharm, Ph.D.

Ahmed Awad, Ph.D., is a research assistant professor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. He earned his B.Sc. (Hons) and worked as a teaching assistant in pharmacognosy at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University. He completed his M.Sc. and obtained his Ph.D. in 2013, studying bioactive natural products and biotransformation. In 2014, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship for nine months at the National Center for Natural Products Research, where he continued as a postdoctoral researcher until 2017. In 2022, he joined the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at UF as a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of Dr. McCurdy, the Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Professor of Medicinal Chemistry. Dr. Awad’s primary research interests focus on the isolation and characterization of natural products, their derivatization through chemical reactions and microbial transformation, and screening of their biological activities, which include anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-quorum-sensing effects. His research also evaluates the health-promoting effects of natural products such as prebiotics and antioxidants.