Dr Umer Rashid
I, Dr. Umer Rashid, am currently working as Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus.
My passion for the understanding Synthesis of drug-like molecules and biological systems, more specifically drug-protein interactions, was translated into a PhD degree in July 2011 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Farzana Latif Ansari at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
Besides, I was awarded an HEC scholarship for working with Prof. Dr. Oliver Kappe at the Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Austria as visiting Ph.D. Scholar for six months. During this period, I worked on the microwave-assisted synthesis of drug-like molecules and gained experience in the use of different microwave reactors.
To extend my experience in the field of synthetic organic and Medicinal chemistry, I joined the Department of Chemistry, Hazara University, Mansehra, as an Assistant Professor and worked there Assistant Professor from August 24, 2011, till Feb 24, 2016. Then, I joined COMSATS University, Abbottabad Campus as Assistant Professor on Feb 25, 2016.
I am fully involved in teaching and research activities. I am equipped with the foundations of diverse drug-related topics of medicinal chemistry, organic and Inorganic (Organometallic) drug synthesis, pharmacology, biochemistry, and drug design approaches. Wrapping all the knowledge gained during PhD studies, now my research is focused on computer-aided drug design with subsequent synthesis and testing of new chemical entities as putative drugs for the treatment of various diseases. Apart from wet laboratory experience, I am also working on different Computer-assisted drug design software such as Molecular Operating Environment (MOE), GOLD, and AutoDock.
The International recognition of my research output took various forms. I have been recently nominated for the 2023 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC, UK) Medicinal Chemistry Emerging Investigator Lectureship Award. This Award celebrates outstanding early career researchers around the globe who have made significant contributions in the fields of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery in their independent careers.
I have authored a book chapter titled “Challenges in designing therapeutic agents for treating Alzheimer’s disease: From serendipity to rationality”. Drug Design and Discovery in Alzheimer’s Disease (Elsevier). To date, I have 133 international research publications in the Impact Factor Journals of International Repute with an impact factor of about 540.
I am a regular Reviewer of several scientific Journals of good repute from various publishers. I Graduated from the American Chemical Society (ACS) Reviewer Lab. Currently, I am working as Associate Editor in Frontiers in Chemistry (Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry section) and as a Review Editor in Frontiers in Pharmacology. As a Reviewer, I have evaluated the manuscript from; the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (ACS), European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Scientific Reports, Future Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry, Frontiers in Chemistry, Frontiers in Pharmacology, and Journal of Molecular Structure.
Dr. Umer Rashid
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry,
COMSATS University, Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus
Facebook (Medicinal Chemistry: Drug design page)