Pedro Martín-Acosta

Pedro Martín-Acosta serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry within the Chemistry Department of Reed College's Division of Mathematical and Natural Sciences. His one-year appointment for the 2025-26 academic year focuses on teaching general and organic chemistry courses while maintaining an active research program.

Dr. Martín-Acosta's research program integrates organic, medicinal, and biological chemistry with emphasis on designing, synthesizing, and optimizing bioactive molecules targeting infectious diseases and cancer. His laboratory specializes in efficient synthetic strategies including multicomponent and domino reactions, combined with molecular modeling techniques to investigate structure-activity relationships (SAR) and develop chemical tools for disease biology exploration. His work bridges fundamental chemical synthesis with therapeutic applications, particularly in antimalarial and anticancer compound development.

• B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of La Laguna (Spain), specializing in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry
• Postdoctoral research at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) focusing on molecular probes, PROTACs, and prodrug development
• Former Open Lab Scientist at GSK leading collaborative research on antimalarial compounds

His scholarly approach combines computational methods with experimental synthesis to address critical challenges in drug discovery, with particular expertise in molecular optimization strategies for bioactive natural product derivatives.