Dr. Ayan Mukherjee

My journey so far

From a fascination with organic reactions to small-molecule therapeutic discovery.

My interest in chemistry began at school. Organic chemistry captured my imagination through a simple but powerful idea: understanding reaction mechanisms makes it possible to predict transformations and create new molecules. At IIT Madras, this curiosity grew into a passion for medicinal chemistry and its potential to address challenges in human health.

A foundation in synthesis and medicinal chemistry

I completed my PhD in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry at CSIR–Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, designing and synthesizing small molecules for cancer therapy and the modulation of immune pathways.

Expanding across therapeutic challenges

At the University of Manitoba, Canada, my postdoctoral research explored antibiotic adjuvants to combat antimicrobial resistance. At Baylor College of Medicine, USA, I worked on targeted protein degradation for cancer epigenetic therapy. Together, these experiences shaped my approach to connecting molecular design with therapeutic questions.

Building MedChemX at IISER Thiruvananthapuram

Today, as an Assistant Professor at IISER Thiruvananthapuram, I lead a group focused on small-molecule therapeutics for antimicrobial resistance and cancer. We bring together organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, computational drug discovery and AI/ML-assisted molecular design to identify and develop promising therapeutic candidates.

“What continues to excite me most about chemistry is the opportunity to transform a molecular idea into something that could eventually make a difference in human health.”