Paul Carlier

Paul Carlier is a Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), holding the Hans W. Vahlteich Chair in Medicinal Chemistry. He serves as Director of UICentre, UIC’s campus-wide drug discovery initiative. Prior to UIC, he was a Professor of Chemistry at Virginia Tech (2007–2022). His research focuses on medicinal chemistry for global public health, particularly developing antimalarial drugs and combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Notable achievements include discovering novel antimalarial compounds and elucidating the mechanism of mefloquine action.

Education: B.A. from Hamilton College (1983), Ph.D. from MIT (1988). Awards include the Jimmy Viers Teaching Award (2017) and the Hamilton College Alumni Achievement Medal (2005). He has led multiple NIH-funded projects, including a $3.7M grant for malaria drug development (2021–2026). His lab collaborates with institutions like Virginia Tech and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Teaching includes courses in medicinal chemistry and thesis supervision.

Research interests span antimalarial drug discovery targeting Plasmodium falciparum, antibiotic development against Klebsiella pneumoniae, and drug metabolism studies. Over 260+ publications highlight his contributions to antiviral screening, enzyme inhibition, and structural biology. Professional roles include North America Regional Editor for Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry and membership on the Cholinergic Mechanisms Meeting advisory board.