Pradip Mascharak, distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, an honor given to scientists whose efforts have made an impact in any field of the chemical sciences.
Mascharak's research focuses on the structure and function of enzymes, green chemistry, and designing novel drugs for cancer and other diseases. In recent years, his lab has been studying and synthesizing photoactive compounds that release nitric oxide or carbon monoxide when exposed to light. Since nitric oxide and carbon monoxide are biological signaling molecules with antimicrobial and other properties, there is great potential to use compounds that release them in biomedical therapies.
A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Mascharak received the the Chemical Research Society of India Medal in 2017, the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman Gold Medal in 2014, and the 2015-16 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences at UCSC.
Mascharak earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees at the University of Burdwan, India, and his Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He joined the UCSC faculty in 1984.
