School of Pharmacy News & Media Center
The University of Mississippi

UM Graduate Eman Ashour Joins Pharmacy Faculty

Posted on: November 1st, 2017 by herman

November 1, 2017

By Whitney Tarpy

OXFORD, Miss. – It seems Eman Ashour can’t stay away from Oxford. Last month, she joined the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy as a research assistant professor after various stints within the school, and she’s happy to be sticking around.

Eman Ashour

Eman Ashour

“I like Oxford and this environment,” Ashour said. “I believe that the University of Mississippi has a very strong School of Pharmacy. When I found this opportunity, I knew I had to apply.”

Originally from Egypt, Ashour earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Alexandria. She and her husband moved to Mississippi in 2005 immediately before Ashour started her career at UM as an R&D chemist at the School of Pharmacy. Ashour’s research focuses on drug delivery and drug development, which includes working on pre-formulation and formulation of solid dosage forms. She also has experience working in hot-melt extrusion, a specialty of the pharmacy school’s Pii Center for Pharmaceutical Technology.

Ashour decided pharmacy was the profession for her for after gaining an early interest in science.

“I’m a fan of chemistry,” Ashour said. “I was a good student in high school, so I needed to take advantage of that. I entered pharmacy school because I like things dealing with chemistry.”

Her time in Oxford inspired Ashour to pursue her Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences at the pharmacy school, with emphases in pharmaceutics and drug delivery. After completing her degrees, Ashour moved to Maryland where she worked with the Food and Drug Administration.

“That gave me a lot of experience with drug application,” Ashour said. “I learned about what the market needs and how to improve academic research to make it more valuable and important for the industry.”

She didn’t stay away from Oxford long. In her new role, Ashour helps coordinate the master’s program within the Department of Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, specifically serving as a bridge between the faculty and graduate students to make sure each student’s research project is on track.

Outside of work, Ashour enjoys cooking and traveling with her family. She also finds time to give back, something she has done since her time as a student serving in organizations like the student chapter of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the Graduate School Council.

“I like any volunteering service,” Ashour said. “I also like to serve the students because I believe this career is not only scientific. You have to also be involved in the community.”