C. Randall Clark

C. Randall Clark is a Gilliland Professor in the Department of Drug Discovery and Development at Auburn University's Harrison College of Pharmacy. He joined the faculty in 1973, advancing from assistant to full professor by 1983, and holds an endowed professorship since 2016.

• B.A., Biology and Chemistry - Berry College (1967)
• Ph.D., Medicinal Chemistry - University of Mississippi (1973)

Research Focus: Studies regioisomerism and isobaric relationships in synthetic novel psychoactive substances (NPS), including substituted phenethylamines, synthetic cannabinoids, cathinones, and NBOMe drugs. His work develops analytical methods for differentiation using GC-MS, GC-MS/MS, GC-CI/MS, NMR, and liquid chromatography.

Key Article Trends: Recent publications emphasize GC-MS/MS analysis, vapor-phase IR for regioisomer identification, and differentiation of mass-equivalent synthetic drugs. His team contributes extensively to the NIST mass spectral database with >1000 spectra.

• Alumni Professorship (1983-1988): Recognized for research and teaching excellence.
• Sandra Kent Gilliland and David Louie Gilliland Professor (2016–present): Endowed chair for sustained contributions.

Service: Served on Auburn University Graduate Council, chaired multiple committees, and led the Drug Testing/Drug Education in Athletics Committee for 20+ years.

Laboratory: His lab develops synthetic methods for NPS compounds, focusing on analytical challenges in forensic identification of regioisomers and isobaric substances.