Three UNCW alumni have been awarded fellowships in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s Pharmaceutical Chemistry doctoral program, according to a news release. Caitlyn Agee, Sarah Barr and Jared Wood are the first cohort of doctoral fellows for pharmaceutical chemistry.

Agee, the Maravai LifeSciences Fellow in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, is a rising fourth-year doctoral student studying under the guidance of Dr. R. Thomas Williamson in the Drug DISCOvery group. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from UNCW. 

Barr is the recipient of the Alcami Corporation Leadership Fellowship in Pharmaceutical Chemistry. She earned a bachelor’s in biology with a minor in chemistry from UNCW. Her doctoral thesis, in the Drug DISCOvery Lab under the guidance of Dr. Wendy Strangman, is focusing on medicinal plant-based dietary supplements, applying a pharmaceutical industry-based approach to their evaluation, according to the release. 

Wood, the Yousry and Linda Sayed Graduate Fellow, is a fifth-year graduate student pursuing a doctorate in the research laboratory of Dr. R. Thomas Williamson. He earned his bachelor’s in chemistry from UNCW. 

Wood enriched his post-baccalaureate studies with a nine-month internship/co-op at Merck & Co. Inc.,” the release stated. “Wood’s research focuses on the structure elucidation of natural and synthetic products.”

According to the release, UNCW launched the pharmaceutical chemistry doctoral program in 2023, and eight students are currently enrolled. The program prepares students for careers in academia and in the private sector as scientists for pharmaceutical companies and related chemical industries.