Adel Nefzi teaches graduate students in the Research Symposium Presentations course. His research laboratory is based at the FIU Center for Translational Science.
An internationally recognized medicinal chemist, Nefzi focuses his laboratory research on designing, synthesizing and applying small molecules, heterocyclic compounds, peptidomimetics, peptides and cyclic peptide combinatorial libraries for drug discovery.
Over the past 25 years, his lab has pioneered diversity-oriented and mixture-based combinatorial chemistry approaches that accelerate the identification of biologically active compounds and therapeutic leads.
Before joining FIU, he served as an associate member and directed the Medicinal Chemistry Department at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
See research publications and more on FIU Discovery.
Area of Expertise
- Combinatorial chemistry
- Drug discovery
Honors & Awards
- Outstanding Professor Award, Center for Translational Science, Florida International University, 2025-2026
- President Prize and National Accolade for the Best Tunisian Researcher or Inventor Abroad, Tunisian President's Office & Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, 2019
Current Grants
- Project: Discovery and Development of Novel Antimalarial Drugs
- Role: Multiple Principal Investigator
- Period: 04/2026 - 03/2031
- Total Funding: $3,892,912
- Project: Development of Novel RhoA Nitration Inhibitory Peptides for the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury
- Role: Co-Investigator
- Period: 09/2025 - 08/2028
- Total Funding: $1,548,750
- Project: Mito-inflammation and sepsis-induced acute lung injury
- Role: Co-Investigator
- Period: 08/2025 - 05/2029
- Total Funding: $2,777,592
- Project: Effect of small molecule activator of autophagy on insulin signaling, senescence, and neuropathology in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
- Role: Multiple Principal Investigator
- Period: 12/2024 - 11/2026
- Total Funding: $958,750
- Project: Metabolic Reprogramming and Pulmonary Vascular Disease in Congenital Heart Disease Associated with Congenital Heart Disease (Core C)
- Role: Co-Investigator Period: 07/2025 - 06/2030
- Total Funding: $11,617,625
Committees & Professional Organizations
- Program director of the FIU-CTS high school summer internship program
- Faculty liaison with IRSC for educational collaboration.
Education
- Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
- MSc, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
- BS, University of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia