Staff Profiles

I am Professor and Dean of Research at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed), where I provide strategic leadership for research, research governance and ethics, research capacity development, and external collaboration. I have more than 30 years of experience in higher education, research and academic leadership across India, Ethiopia and Malaysia, with a professional background in pharmaceutical sciences.

Before joining Newcastle University in 2024, I spent nearly two decades at IMU University, Malaysia, where I held a range of academic and senior leadership positions, including Professor, Associate Dean, Head of Department, MPharm Programme Director, and leadership roles within research and commercialisation centres. Earlier in my career, I served as the founding Principal of Annamacharya College of Pharmacy in India and held academic positions in India and Ethiopia.

I hold BPharm, MPharm and PhD qualifications in Pharmaceutical Sciences and am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). My professional interests span research leadership, drug discovery and development, academic governance, quality assurance, transnational education, and the development of sustainable research and innovation ecosystems. 

• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=KhXNeu8AAAAJ
• Scopus Author Profile: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=34880608200
• ORCID: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-9761-8266
• Web of Science Researcher Profile: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/D-6578-2018
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallikarjuna-rao-pichika-65083221/

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Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, AI in Drug Discovery, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Applied Microbiology

• Articles

  • Wunnava AU, Mak KK, Balijepalli MK, Zhang S, Pang JC, Pichika MR. Structural modifications of curcumin toward clincial applications. The Open Medicinal Chemistry Journal 2026.
  • Zhang S, Mak KK, Mosalikanti AUR, Balijepalli MK, Pichika MR. A20 as a novel immunoregulatory target for neuroinflammation. Drug Discovery Today 2026, 31(4), 104720.

• Book Chapters

  • Damarasingu, P, Budumuru, P, Pichika, MR, Balijepalli, MK, Mak, KK, Upadhyay, PK. The role of exercise and physical activity in diabetic neuropathy. In: Antioxidants and Functional Foods for Diabetic Neuropathy. Springer Nature Singapore, 2026.
  • Sharma MRK, Pathak P, Pichika MR, Balijepalli MK, Mohd T. Novel Biomarkers for early diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy: Current research and prospects. In: Antioxidants and Functional Foods for Diabetic Neuropathy. Springer Nature Singapore, 2026.
  • Kurre PN, Muthyala MKK, Pichika MR. Computational Chemistry and Drug Discovery: Intersection of AI, QSAR and Molecular Modeling. In: Computer-Aided Drug Design: Principles, Techniques, and Applications. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2026.