- About
- Research
- Research Overview
- Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry
- Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry Overview
- Discovering Enzyme Substrates and Functions
- Discovering Protein Ligands to Probe and Alter Function
- Discovering Enzyme Activators
- Analyzing Mechanisms of Drug Resistance via Chemical Biology
- Analyzing Enzyme Conformational Dynamics, Substrate Binding, and Catalysis
- Effective Drug Targeting of Pathogens via Medicinal Chemistry
- Computational Chemistry and Biology
- Computational Chemistry and Biology Overview
- Modeling protein regulation via allostery and post-translational modifications
- Visualizing and integrating bioinformatics and biomolecular data
- Modeling membrane permeation to optimize pharmacokinetics
- Determining enzyme function by predicting substrate specificity
- Physical Biology
- Protein and Cellular Engineering
- Protein and Cellular Engineering Overview
- Monitoring enzyme activity and disease biomarkers
- Generating human proteome antibodies via phage display and directed evolution
- Globally analyzing and dissecting apoptosis
- Proximity tagging of protein-protein interactions
- Investigating cellular interactions in tissues
- Creating fluorescent probes targeting the genome and key bio-pathways
- De novo design of catalytic and membrane proteins
- Probing and modulating membrane proteins
- Education
- People
- News
- Events
Education
Overview
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry faculty members teach PhD students to think creatively and openly, and to explore ideas that cross traditional fields of study. They also prepare doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students with scientific knowledge fundamental to clinical practice.
Degree programs
The department is responsible for aspects of the following degree programs:
PhD graduate degree programs
Department faculty members teach in many PhD graduate degree programs.
The School of Pharmacy administers these five programs:
- PhD in Bioengineering, San Francisco arm (BioE)
Director: Todd McDevitt, PhD
The Bioengineering Graduate Program is jointly offered by UCSF and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) through the UCSF/UCB Joint Graduate Group in Bioengineering (UCSF/UCB JGGB). It combines the resources in biomedical sciences at UCSF with the excellence in engineering, physical, and life sciences at UCB. - PhD in Biological and Medical Informatics (Bioinformatics pathway) (BI)
Director: Ryan Hernandez, PhD
The Bioinformatics pathway of the Biological and Medical Informatics Graduate Program prepares scientists to harness and apply the power of data analysis tools to understand the complexities of human biology. - PhD in Biophysics (BP)
Director: Tanja Kortemme, PhD
The Biophysics Graduate Program prepares scientists to explore the intricacies of living systems through the application of physics and chemistry. - PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB)
Director: Charles Craik, PhD
Associate Director: Jason Gestwicki, PhD
The Chemistry and Chemical Biology Graduate Program prepares scientists to explore the molecules in complex living systems and to investigate how molecules influence health and disease. - PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics (PSPG)
Director: Deanna Kroetz, PhD
The Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics Graduate Program prepares independent, creative leaders in the pharmaceutical sciences, who can apply genetics and genomics to the development of safe, effective drugs for patients.
PharmD and MD professional degree programs
- Vice Dean: Sharon L. Youmans, PharmD, MPH
- Experiential Programs Director: Valerie Clinard, PharmD
- Regional Program Directors:
- Fresno: (unfilled)
- Greater Sacramento: Tiffany Pon, PharmD
- Los Angeles / Orange County: Robin Corelli, PharmD
- North Bay: Kirsten Balano, PharmD
- San Francisco Bay Area: Valerie Clinard, PharmD
Faculty members in the three School of Pharmacy departments develop and deliver the School’s Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program, which is administered by the Dean’s Office. Faculty members outside the School also teach in the PharmD program.
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry faculty members also teach in the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree program, which is administered by the School of Medicine Dean’s Office.
- PharmD
The PharmD professional program prepares pharmacists to lead and innovate in pharmacy practice, policy, and science; to remain lifelong experts in the safe and effective use of medicines; and to contribute to patient-centered care within health care teams. - MD
The MD professional program emphasizes self-directed learning, connections across disciplines, and competency-based education.
Postdoctoral programs
Postdoctoral scholars, including fellows
Postdoctoral scholars add to the intellectual rigor of the department while furthering their own research. See Office for Postdoctoral Scholars.
The department welcomes inquiries from postdoctoral research fellows who have received fellowship funding for postdoctoral study by an extramural agency.
Faculty members usually prefer to receive directly from respected research colleagues the names of prospective postdoctoral scholars.