Prof. Dr. Rahul Khupse is an Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Findlay. He has more than 20 years of hands-on experience in designing and synthesizing small molecules. After obtaining a pharmacy degree from Nagpur University, India, he joined the University of Toledo for his PhD in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry. During his graduate studies, he accomplished the first total syntheses of anticancer natural products called Glyceollins and Xanthohumol. Later, as a research chemist in Lexington Pharmaceuticals LLC, he worked on the syntheses of several small molecules, including carbohydrates and heterocyclics. This was followed by post-doctoral work at the Center for Drug
Design and Development, Toledo, where he was a group leader for a 14-step synthesis of several grams of anticancer compounds for preclinical animal studies. After starting his independent academic career at the University of Findlay (UF), he continued his research in cancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory
therapies. He has played a pivotal role in setting up an advanced instrumentation lab (NMR, MS, HPLC) and currently serves as the lead contact at UF. He has received several extramural grants/funding from agencies including the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (Cleveland), the Karmanos Cancer Center (Detroit), Suny Downstate (New York), and the USDA.
Gireesh Rajashekara is a Professor at the Center for Food Animal Health, Department of Animal Sciences, Ohio State University, USA. He completed his Ph.D. studies in Microbiology at the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, the American Phytopathological Society, and the International Association for Food Protection. His research interests include Molecular microbiology, host–pathogen interactions and pathogenesis, virulence mechanisms, antimicrobial discovery, and vaccine development. The research in his lab is focused on the pre-harvest control of bacterial zoonoses (specifically, Salmonella and Campylobacter), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mitigation, and the discovery of novel narrow-spectrum antimicrobials (virulence and growth inhibitors), as well as probiotics and antimicrobial peptides to control foodborne zoonotic and animal pathogens.
