Dr. Shyam Mohapatra
Dr. Shyam Mohapatra
Dr. Shyam S. Mohapatra is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in nanomedicine, translational bioengineering, and biomedical innovation, with a distinguished academic career at the University of South Florida spanning nearly three decades. Since joining USF in 1996, his research, teaching, and service have had a profound impact on biomedical science, technology translation, and graduate education.
Dr. Mohapatra’s research program has attracted over $45 million in extramural funding, resulting in more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and over 40 U.S. and international patents. His pioneering work in nanoscale biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics has advanced new approaches for the detection and treatment of cancer, asthma, viral infections, and traumatic brain injury. In oncology, his inventions and co-inventions have enabled multiple technology platforms supporting innovative drug discovery, development pipelines, and personalized cancer therapeutics, several of which have progressed toward commercialization. His translational research has led to the creation of multiple intellectual property portfolios and the spin-out of startup companies, including the co-founding of Transgenex Nanobiotech Inc., a USF spin-out company focused on commercializing nanoscale biomedical innovations.
Dr. Mohapatra’s contributions to science and innovation have been widely recognized. He is a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also an inaugural inductee (2014) of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, underscoring his sustained impact in biomedical invention and technology translation.
In addition to his research leadership, Dr. Mohapatra has played a transformative role in graduate education and academic program development. Since 2014, he has served as Associate Dean of Graduate Programs at the USF College of Pharmacy, where he founded and led a highly innovative Master of Science program in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, with concentrations in Drug Discovery and Development and Biomedical Engineering. The program has experienced rapid growth and national visibility, generating approximately $1 million in revenue within its first three years.
Dr. Mohapatra is also deeply committed to workforce development and scientific community building. He served as faculty advisor for the creation of NANO (New Advances in Nanotechnology Organization), a student-led organization that has grown to over 50 members. He is the founding president of the Florida Association for Nanobiotechnology, a statewide non-profit organization with more than 700 members spanning academic institutions, industry, and research organizations engaged in nanobiotechnology across Florida. In research leadership, Dr. Mohapatra founded and continues to direct the VA Colorectal Cancer Cell-Genomics Consortium, established in 2017. This consortium represents a collaborative network of research programs across approximately 12 VA hospitals, advancing multi-site translational research efforts in colorectal cancer.