Dr. Stevan Pecic

Dr. Stevan Pecic received a Dipl. Pharm. degree (equivalent to the US PharmD degree) from The University of Belgrade in Serbia. Then he obtained a doctorate degree in Biochemistry with a concentration in Medicinal Chemistry from The Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York advised by Dr. Wayne W. Harding. During his graduate work, he studied natural products aporphines as serotonin (5HT2a) receptor antagonists and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. For the next 8 years, he continued his career as an Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University Medical Center in the Division of Experimental Therapeutics where he gained experience in designing nucleic acid-based biosensors. During this period he has authored many peer-reviewed publications and got a patent related to the inhibitors of the enzyme soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). 

Dr. Pecic joined The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, Fullerton in Fall 2018 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In 2024, Dr. Pecic has been promoted to Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry with tenure.

Here at CSUF, Dr. Pecic is mostly focused on the medicinal chemistry research. His main research interests and assignments are focused on identification of novel inhibitors of enzymes involved in lipid metabolism and their evaluation as potential therapeutics. In particular, the lab is interested in two enzymes, soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) and fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Through traditional medicinal chemistry techniques, including in silico drug design, organic synthesis, structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies and in vitro biological evaluations, the goal of the lab is directed toward elucidation of the pharmacology and biochemistry of lipid metabolism and pathophysiology of related diseases. For this project he received $426,000 in May 2020, from National Institutes of Health. In July 2023, again from the NIH, he received $586,838 for the project "Designed Multiple Ligands as Non-opioid Analgesics for Treating Chronic Pain". This project is a collaborative work with Dr. Bruce D. Hammock's lab from UC Davis and Dr. Ram Kandasamy's lab from CSU East Bay. 

In his career he taught Biochem classes and Biochemistry labs, O-chem labs and General Chem classes at Hunter College, City University of New York. Here, at CSUF he taught O-chem classes: Chem 301A and Chem 301B, O-chem labs Chem 306B, Medicinal Chemistry class Chem 429, Medicinal Chemistry labs Chem 467, Biological Chemistry Chem 421 and many graduate level courses including Chem 531 - Organic Chemistry Reaction Mechanisms and Chem 535 - Organic Synthesis.