Rate My Professor Shijun Zhang

Shijun Zhang, Ph.D., is Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. He earned a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences/Medicinal Chemistry from Wayne State University, a B.S. in Pharmacy from Shandong Medical University, and completed postdoctoral training as a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Minnesota. Zhang has been at VCU since 2014, advancing from Associate Professor to full Professor, and contributes to the VCU Center for Drug Discovery, leading efforts in chemical synthesis laboratories focused on small molecule therapeutics.

Zhang's research specializes in rational design and medicinal chemistry for small molecule drug discovery targeting neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and inflammatory disorders. His laboratory develops neuroprotective agents against mitochondrial complex I dysfunction, NLRP3 inflammasome and GASDMD inhibitors with novel binding mechanisms that enable oral administration and reduced inflammation, and PET radiotracers for biomarker applications in drug evaluation. Collaborating with institutions such as Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, his work has advanced to investigational new drug-enabling studies. Zhang is primary author of more than 60 publications and book chapters, including "Mechanistic Characterization of a Small Molecule as a Direct NLRP3 Inhibitor via Binding to the NACHT Domain" (Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2025), "Characterization of a novel PET radioligand for mitochondrial complex I in nonhuman primate" (Nuclear Medicine and Biology, 2025), "Biological and therapeutic significance of targeting NLRP3 inflammasome in the brain and the current efforts to develop brain-penetrant inhibitors" (Advances in Pharmacology, 2025), and "Functional Characterization of an Arylsulfonamide-Based Small-Molecule Inhibitor of the NLRP3 Inflammasome" (ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 2024). He holds 17 patents, has mentored over 50 students and postdoctoral fellows, teaches at all levels, and presents at events like the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Summit. Notable honors include the 2024 National/International Recognition Award (NIRA) Scholar, induction into the VCU chapter of the National Academy of Inventors, NIH grants, and VCU Commercialization Fund awards.