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Debopam Chakrabarti receives UCF’s highest faculty honor
He bagged the Pegasus Professor title for his work in battling malaria
Debopam Chakrabarti was one of the three awardees for the Pegasus Professor title, winning for his work in battling malaria / UCF
Indian American professor Debopam Chakrabarti was named UCF 2024 Pegasus Professor by the University of Central Florida.
The Pegasus Professorship, which is the university’s highest faculty honor, recognizes faculty who have a global influence in their fields, advance student success and make valuable research discoveries that elevate UCF’s reputation for excellence and impact.
Chakrabarti, the head of division of molecular microbiology at the Burnett School of Medical Sciences was recognized for his research focused on Malaria, a disease that affects millions worldwide. As part of the honor he will receive $5000 in earnings.
He is currently investigating using cancer drugs, and identifying natural product-derived antimalarials from fungi, bacteria, coral and sponges to find new ways to treat malaria as it is getting resistant to current therapies. Reflecting on his journey, Chakrabarti said in a statement, “My anti-malaria drug discovery program started at UCF. It’s a UCF-grown program that is finding the cure for malaria.”
His research secured a 5-year, $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in partnership with scientists at Stanford University and the University of California San Diego to test cancer drugs for malaria-thwarting properties. The study was published recently in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
A second $3.8 million NIH grant, was given to Chakrabarti’s team along with a University of Oklahoma chemist to examine how fungus-derived compounds kill the malaria parasite. Their findings were recently published in Cell Chemical Biology.
Chakrobarti will be awarded at the Founders’ Day Faculty Honors Celebration in the Pegasus Ballroom of the Student Union, UCF.
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