The world’s leading professional organization for chemical engineers, AIChE, annually presents awards to honor research in various areas of medicine, science, and technology. During the AIChE 2025 Meeting, Najafian was awarded the First Place Academic Award in the North American Mixing Forum (NAMF) for his research integrating science and technology, while Sharifi received the Pharmaceutical Discovery, Development, and Manufacturing (PD2M) Award for her advancements in pharmaceutical drug development.  

Leila Sharifi: Pharmaceutical Discovery, Development, and Manufacturing (PD2M) Award 

Graduating from Tehran Islamic Azad University’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Department with her Pharm.D. in 2014, Leila Sharifi worked for several years in the pharmaceutical industry before obtaining her Ph.D. As a quality control manager, a quality assurance manager, and a tech transfer lead at third-party companies that were licensed by pharmaceutical companies like Ipsen, Bayer, and Novartis, Sharifi realized she wanted to continue her passion for research at UConn. With additional experience as a pharmacist in retail and hospital settings, which connected her to patients, Sharifi developed an interest in creating drugs to transform the lives of people with debilitating diseases. 

Sharifi began her Ph.D. studies at UConn in Bodhi Chaudhuri’s lab in 2023 with a focus on drug formulation and development. With UConn’s excellent ranking in pharmacy, Sharifi chose the School because of the prestige and her relationship with Chaudhuri from past collaborations. Using computational modeling to investigate drug formulation, Chaudhuri’s research inspired Sharifi to further her passion for drug development.  

The applicability of her lab work and coursework has helped Sharifi apply her pharmaceutical knowledge to professional experiences. Working on projects closely related to the pharmacy industry, Sharifi is looking forward to having a substantial impact on pharmaceutical research and development to make drugs that could treat diseases that currently have no available cure.  Additionally, Sharifi’s presentational and professionalism skills have grown at the School through weekly seminars and conference opportunities.  

“Knowing that what I learn at UConn will help me in my internships and future career is very rewarding.” 

First working as a teaching assistant in her Ph.D. program before working in research, Sharifi helped students learn the difficult concepts she remembers first being introduced to during her undergraduate journey. Becoming a research assistant after her first semester, she began working with Chaudhuri on researching gene therapy. In the lab, Sharifi uses advanced computer models to identify safe gene carriers that can be used to treat those with life-threatening diseases. When manufactured, carriers sometimes clump up and make treatments less effective. Sharifi’s research aims to use computer models to uncover why this clumping happens, so these life-saving treatments can be safe to use. 

 Passionate about helping patients who face life-threatening illnesses, Sharifi has fallen in love with research at UConn.  

Extending her research beyond the lab, Sharifi has shared her research on gene therapy as an academic expert at the 2024 and 2025 American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences (AAPS) PharmSci360 Annual Meetings and was invited to talk at the 2025 Connecticut Microelectronics and Optoelectronics Consortium (CMOC). 

When reflecting on the mentorship she’s received from Chaudhuri, Sharifi is most grateful for his hands-on approach. Giving students the space to explore and learn from mistakes, Chaudhuri is always open to Sharifi’s new ideas and motivates her to be an independent researcher. Starting her Ph.D. with little knowledge of modeling, Chaudhuri has grown Sharifi’s confidence within the lab.  

In recognition of her ongoing research and its impact on the field of pharmaceutical discovery, development, and manufacturing, Sharifi received the PD2M Award at AIChE’s 2025 Meeting. Given to only a select group of students whose research demonstrates outstanding contributions to the field, Vice President of Eli Lilly Kevin Seibert and Research Fellow at Pfizer Kevin Girard handed Sharifi her award during the ceremony. Sharifi was among students from prestigious universities like MIT, University of Minnesota, and international universities like London University to win this award. Along with a plaque and monetary prize, this award is a testament to Sharifi’s goal to develop life-changing medication.  

“I’m very grateful to work in a lab where our projects and hard work will be part of something meaningful.”  

Receiving the award during the conference, surrounded by high-level managers in the pharmaceutical industry, has inspired Sharifi to network and connect with successful pharmacists and researchers.  

With this prestigious award and her love for research, Sharifi plans on continuing her research in the gene therapy area and embarking on a new research project when her current one ends. With plans to work in companies that share her same empathy for helping those with life-threatening diseases, Sharifi is excited to use her compassion to advance the pharmaceutical industry through life-changing medication. 

Sharifi’s award and her deep-rooted passion for changing lives through pharmaceutical breakthroughs reflect UConn’s Pharmacy’s mission of community service and advocacy.  

Saeed Najafian: First Place Academic Award in The North American Mixing Forum 

Graduating top of his class with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tehran, Saeed Najafian came to UConn with sights set on a master’s degree. After completing his M.S. in Chemical Engineering in December 2023 under the leadership of Professor of Pharmaceutics Bodhi Chaudhuri (Ph.D.), Najafian began working on his Ph.D at the School. Focusing on inhalation formulation and continuous manufacturing during his master’s degree, Najafian’s Ph.D. research now focuses on advanced modeling of multiphase systems and solid-dosage-form manufacturing. 

Najafian studies how to mix the ingredients that go into medicine so they blend smoothly and evenly. He uses powerful computer models to test how different factors affect the mixing. His research helps companies understand the best way to run their mixing machines so that medicines can be produced safely and consistently, especially when they go from making small batches to large ones. 

In Chaudhuri’s lab, Najafian studies how to improve the manufacturing of medications through novel modeling techniques. Using a type of advanced computer modeling called Computational Fluid Dynamics–Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM), Najafian works in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Using this model, Najafian tests how different parameters affect medication during the mixing process to uncover the best way for companies to run their machines and produce the most accurate batches of medicine. Najafian has also conducted a six-month project with Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) in Danbury, focusing on improving the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical powders and tablets. With a passion for modeling, Najafian has started a new project in collaboration with the University of Iowa School of Pharmacy, focusing on improving the manufacturing process of tablets with modeling techniques.  

Viewing Chaudhuri as a mentor throughout his four-year journey at UConn, Najafian credits the professor for his continuous support and encouragement during times of trial and error. Helping Najafian improve his professionalism skills and grow his UConn community, Chaudhuri has connected Najafian to lab alumni to network and discuss research.  

“UConn has helped me improve my professional skills needed for this industry.” 

In early November, Najafian presented two talks at the 2025 AIChE Annual Meeting. In the first presentation, Najafian explained the formulation manufacturing research from his time as a master’s student and the pending patent on this project in the Pharmaceutical Discovery, Development, and Manufacturing (PD2M) Forum. After finishing this presentation, Najafian gave a second one to the North America mixing forum on his innovative research on advanced multiphase mixing modeling for improving pharmaceutical manufacturing. 

Required to submit a paper for his work on multiphase mixing, Najafian was selected from a highly competitive group of students from around the world to present his findings at the meeting in Boston. These findings, along with Najafian’s presentational skills he’s learned through presenting at seminars at the School, won him the First Place Academic Award in the North American Forum. In applying the monetary compensation from the award to further research, Najafian is excited to continue exploring his passions in modeling.  

“UConn Pharmacy is a brand, helping me connect with leaders in the industry and gain professional experience.”  

This past summer, Najafian completed an internship at AbbVie, a pharmaceutical company, where he worked on high-shear mixing devices and scaling up novel technologies for particle size reduction. Additionally, he applied the modeling skills he’s learned at the School in developing a CFD-DEM model to predict the particle collision behavior.  

Aside from his prestigious recognition at the 2025 AIChE Annual Meeting, Najafian received third place in the Academic Research Award Presentations at the 2025 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Northeast Regional Discussion Group (AAPS NERDG) Conference. In 2025, Najafian also received the Edward V. Gant Award from UConn for his excellence in academics, professionalism, and service. In this highly competitive award, Najafian was one of only two graduate students across all schools at UConn to receive this honor. 

Najafian’s First Place Academic Award at the 2025 AIChE annual meeting is a testament to his dedicated research, professional skills, and his passion for serving others through pharmaceutical breakthroughs.