AAPS elevates eight members to fellow status
Fellow programs recognize scientific impact, leadership and service.
AAPS is pleased to announce that eight members have been selected for elevation to Fellow status in recognition of their professional excellence and sustained superior impact in fields relevant to AAPS’ mission: advancing the capacity of pharmaceutical scientists to develop products and therapies that improve global health.
The new Fellows will be formally inducted before the welcome reception at PharmSci 360 on Sunday, November 9.
AAPS Fellows are nominated by AAPS members. The status of Fellow denotes professional excellence and a sustained, positive impact on global health and the AAPS community.
“The Fellows Committee thanks those who prepared nominations, as well as the AAPS staff for their initial screening. The diligent work of both the committee and AAPS staff led to a thorough and thoughtful review of an exceptional group of candidates,” announced AAPS 2025 Fellows Committee Char M. N. V. Ravi Kumar, PhD, FAAPS. “I look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of these eight outstanding scientists in San Antonio.”
AAPS President Russell Weiner, PhD. commented:
“The designation of AAPS Fellow represents a distinguished honor, recognizing individuals whose exemplary scientific contributions, leadership and service have significantly advanced the pharmaceutical sciences. This year’s class of Fellows embodies the highest standards of scientific excellence, and all have made a lasting impact on both global health and the AAPS community.”
The following AAPS members have been elevated to Fellow in 2025:
Bodhisattwa Chaudhuri, PhD, FAAPS
Bodhisattwa Chaudhuri, of the University of Connecticut (CT, USA), is recognized for his global leadership in pharmaceutical powder technology and multiscale computational modeling, along with his pioneering research in electrostatics, 3D printing, heat transfer in granular media, and continuous manufacturing platforms.
James DiNunzio, PhD, FAAPS
James DiNunzio of Merck & Co. (NJ, USA) is honored for his internationally recognized expertise in enabling technologies, particularly hot melt extrusion and amorphous solid dispersions. His ability to bridge scientific rigor with real-world applications has enabled transformative advancements in drug product development and his work has guided the development and commercialization of multiple therapies across oncological, infectious disease, cardiometabolic and central nervous system indications.
Carsten Ehrhardt, PhD, FAAPS
Carsten Ehrhardt of Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) is recognized for sustained impact in the field of pulmonary drug delivery. He has co-authored 118 peer-reviewed publications, 12 book chapters, over 250 abstracts and conference proceedings and delivered more than 200 presentations. He is a Section Editor of the European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, an Associate Editor of the Journal of Aerosol Medicine and Pulmonary Drug Delivery and a member of the editorial boards of the European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutics, Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Research.
Vivek Gupta, PhD, FAAPS
Vivek Gupta of St John’s University (NY, USA) is honored for work that has transformed the pharmaceutical sciences, particularly in pulmonary drug delivery, nanomedicine and drug repurposing. An entrepreneur as well as an educator, his pioneering work in inhalable therapeutics has led to multiple patented technologies licensed to biotech startups.
Devalina Law, PhD, FAAPS
Devalina Law of AbbVie (IL, USA) is honored for her critical contributions to the discovery and development of numerous clinical candidates and on-market products, as well as for groundbreaking work on amorphous solid dispersions. This work contributes to life-saving medicines that help millions of patients worldwide to manage and ensures those drugs’ continued availability to patients.
Heidi M. Mansour, PhD, FAAPS
Heidi M. Mansour of the Florida International University Center for Translational Science (FL, USA) is recognized for her work in pulmonary drug delivery and translational science. In addition to her research and teaching, Mansour holds several patents and is widely sought after as a collaborator with industry.
Yonghao Su, PhD, FAAPS
Yongchao Su of Merck & Co. is recognized for his international impact in advancing the mechanistic understanding of drug stability and delivery, enabling product development. He also holds academic appointments as Professor of Practice at the University of Connecticut, Adjunct Professor at Purdue University (IN, USA) and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin (TX, USA).
Xiaoming Xu, PhD, FAAPS
Xiaoming Xu of the US Food and Drug Administration (MD, USA) is honored for his work in the science and regulatory spaces. He is widely recognized for his expertise in abuse-deterrent formulations, ophthalmic emulsions, particle size analysis and continuous manufacturing. His research has directly supported the FDA’s approval of seven first generic complex drug products, many of which previously lacked viable regulatory pathways.
These new AAPS Fellows will be recognized at the 2025 PharmSci 360 in San Antonio, Texas, on November 9, at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. For more information about this event or to register, visit http://www.aaps.org/pharmsci360.
About AAPS
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) is a non-profit association of more than 7000 scientists and professionals employed in academia, industry, regulatory and other research related to the pharmaceutical sciences worldwide. Its mission is to advance the capacity of pharmaceutical scientists to develop products and therapies that improve global health, which members pursue through four peer-reviewed journals and a variety of events in person and online.
AAPS PharmSci 360 delivers research from across the pharmaceutical continuum, from discovery to delivery, and all stages in between. Thousands of scientists from across the globe converge to discuss cutting-edge breakthroughs, technologies, and techniques in symposia and poster presentations at this science-first event. https://www.aaps.org/pharmsci360.
