University of Mississippi

Dear Friends and Alumni,

I hope you had the opportunity to celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary with family and friends and enjoy some time outdoors. Although campus is quieter during the summer months, the Department of BioMolecular Sciences (BMS) remains as active as ever. Our STEM Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program is in full swing, graduate students are making the most of uninterrupted research time, and our faculty continue to advance the department's teaching and research missions. In June, BMS faculty (pictured below) gathered for an All Hands meeting to revise our graduate handbook and redesign our graduate curriculum, accommodating changes in the new professional pharmacy curriculum and ensuring our graduate programs remain strong and forward-looking.

This summer also marks a personal transition. After nearly 10 years as Chair of BMS, I have decided to step down from the role. The Dean has asked me to remain until my successor is selected, and a national search is now underway (see, and please share, the announcement below). While this was not an easy decision, I am incredibly proud of what our department has accomplished over the past decade and confident in the bright future that lies ahead.

The achievements highlighted throughout this newsletter reflect the dedication and excellence of our faculty, staff, and students. BMS faculty currently mentor 35 traditional graduate students, along with 15 students in our growing online M.S. program. This spring, we celebrated nine new Ph.D. graduates, several of whom are pictured below. Despite significant reductions in federal research funding, our faculty secured more than $6.2 million in grants and contracts, including five NIH R01 awards, two NIH R35 awards, a P20 Glycoscience center, and two NSF awards. BMS faculty were recognized with school and university honors for teaching (Drs. Valcarcel, Laing, and Stewart), research (Dr. Li), and mentoring (Dr. Stevens). We are also excited to welcome Dr. Zheng Cui, Assistant Professor of Pharmacognosy, who joins BMS in August following a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University.

As I hope you'll agree, BMS is well positioned for its next chapter. The department is thriving, our students and faculty continue to excel, and I am confident the next chair will build upon this strong foundation. Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, and investment in both me and our department. It has been a privilege to serve as chair, and I look forward to supporting a smooth transition while cheering on BMS's continued success.

Hotty Toddy,

Kristie Willett, BMS Chair

Chair and Professor or Associate Professor, Department of BioMolecular Sciences - apply now.

Pictured left to right: Dr. Rachel Parmelee, Janiya Cooper, Max Harmon, Nisha Mishra, Jaci Murphy, Isaiah Byrd, Meghan Norris, Caroline Bonds, Annie Frye, Dr. Hayley Prescott, and Dr. David Colby

Not Pictured: Carey Thompson

Pictured left to right front row: Sherrie Gussow, Dr. Karel Alcedo, Dr. Deb Gochfeld, Dr. Kristie Willett, Dr. Hayley Prescott, Dr. Rachel Parmelee, Dr. Vitor Pomin, Dr. Brenton Laing, and Dr. Joshua Zhu

Back row: Dr. James Stewart, Dr. Cole Stevens, Dr. Courtney Roper, Dr. David Colby, Dr. Gregg Roman, and Dr. Noa Valcarcel

The registration deadline to join us for the catered meal is July 27th.

The link for registration is https://forms.gle/cEv8yY6rJ6aj3TAt5.

She earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kentucky, followed by an MS in Computer Science from Georgia Tech. Most recently she has been completing an NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Balskus laboratory at Harvard.

Her research interests include natural product chemistry and biosynthesis and complements existing departmental expertise in natural product drug discovery. We are excited to have her and her newly recruited trainees join the department.

Dr. Brenton Laing (left) received the Faculty Instructional Innovation Award for his creative and engaging approach to pharmacy education. Dr. Laing developed Drug Target Dungeon, a video game designed to introduce students to drug interactions, adverse events, mechanisms of action, pharmaceutical calculations, and pharmacotherapy. His nomination highlighted his dedication to building a community of lifelong learners among pharmacy students.

Dr. Cole Stevens (right) was honored with the Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award, for providing exceptional guidance, support and mentorship to graduate students. Dr. Stevens has graduated six doctoral students, each with at least three publications. His mentees have secured competitive postdoctoral fellowships, and he continues to generate external funding for the school.

Dr. Noa Valcarcel was named a 2026 - 2029 Distinguished Teaching Scholar after competitively renewing her fellowship that started in 2023. Prior to coming to BMS in 2017, she conducted postdoctoral research at the Reynolds Oklahoma Center on Aging at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and completed the Preparing Future Faculty program at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Valcarcel’s research focused on the mechanisms of vascular cognitive impairment in the elderly. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, including Spanish for Pharmacists, which she developed to improve communication between pharmacists and patients.

She also serves BMS as the Director of Academic Programs and is on the SOP Sports Pharmacy working group who will be leading an upcoming CE course.

https://pharmacy.olemiss.edu//news/2026/06/sports-pharmacy-conference-offers-8.0-hours-of-continuing-education-with-expert-led-sessions/index.html

Says Dr. Valcarcel on her reappointment as a Distinguished Teaching Scholar, “This is a huge honor, because I love teaching, and I love the School of Pharmacy. This is more than a job for me; it’s an opportunity to engage with dedicated students and work with amazing colleagues,” Valcarcel said. “I find it rewarding to help prepare future scientists, and to teach students who will use these courses in their careers. I really like my job, and I want my students to find careers that they find meaningful, too.”

She also earned the 2026 Teacher of the Year Award from the P2 class and received the School of Pharmacy, Friend of the Student Award.

Dr. Dennis Carty, BMS Environmental Toxicology class of 2017, received the Early Career Alumni Award at the 2026 Ole Miss Pharmacy Award Banquet in March.

Dennis is a Senior Advisor, Discovery Project Toxicologist at Eli Lilly. He and his wife Rhianna, BMS Pharmacology class of 2017, have two young sons that in addition to their Pharmaceutical Industry jobs keep them busy. Congrats Dennis!

BMS faculty and students enjoyed another successful year sharing fun ways of learning about science with community children and our research with prospective students!

Whether it's been two years or twenty years, we would love to hear what you've been up to! If you would like to share in future newsletters, contact us!

The University of Mississippi, Dept. of BioMolecular Sciences

(formerly the Departments of Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacognosy, & Pharmacology)