Soumyajit Majumdar
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, Professor of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery and Research Professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Dr. Majumdar’s research interests include design of drug delivery strategies for enhancing ocular bioavailability of poorly permeating compounds through transporter targeted prodrugs, circumvention of P-gp mediated efflux, evaluating effect of drug-drug interaction on bioavailability, metabolism and efflux, and developing advanced drug delivery platforms.
Research Interests
- Preformulation studies
- Biopharmaceutical characterization
- Prodrug derivatization and design
- Formulation design and development
- Stability studies
- Lipid-based formulations
- Nanoformulations
- Preclinical pharmacokinetic studies
- Ocular drug delivery
Over the last two decades, Dr. Majumdar’s research has focused on improving transmucosal delivery through solubility enhancement and/or transmembrane permeation, with a particular focus on ocular drug delivery. Aspects of his research include physchem evaluation (DSC/TGA/NMR/FTIR, etc.), drug-excipient interactions, prodrug design and biopharmaceutical characterization, formulation development (e.g., solutions, nanoemulsions, nanoparticles, melt extruded films, powders, tablets, and capsules), characterization, in vitro screening, stability studies, shelf-life evaluation, and preclinical studies. Prior to academia, Dr. Majumdar was working in Research and Development in the pharmaceutical industry.
Biography
Dr. Majumdar earned his Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BPharm) and Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmaceutics) from Jadavpur University, India. Following his MS, he spent nine years in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in drug discovery, lead evaluation and optimization, drug product development, packaging, and delivery device assessment, and technology translation from the bench to the market. He later obtained an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacology from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.
Since 2005, Dr. Majumdar has served in academia, focusing on drug discovery, design, formulation screening, characterization, and development, and the evaluation of drug safety and efficacy, with the overarching goal of improving therapeutic outcomes in diseases such as infections, inflammation, and glaucoma. His research program has been continuously funded (>$21M) by NIH (R21, R01, R41, P20, P30), other federal agencies, and industry. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and served as the major advisor for 22 PhD students and 16 MS students, and served on the dissertation/thesis committees of numerous others. Dr. Majumdar also holds several patents.
In 2015, he was appointed Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, where he leads efforts to strengthen research initiatives, grant development, interdisciplinary collaborations, and the growth of research core facilities. His office has also launched multiple initiatives to enrich the graduate student experience, professional development, and sense of belonging - such as expanded orientation programs, networking events, communication workshops, and a series of career and professional development programs. Notably, his team was awarded a highly competitive and prestigious graduate student training grant (T32) from NIH, the first one at the University of Mississippi.
Education
B.S. Pharmacy, Jadavpur University (1989)
M.S. Pharmaceutics, Jadavpur University (1991)
Ph.D. Pharmaceutical Science, University of Missouri-Kansas City (2005)