After 18 years at the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy, Professor Arash Bashirullah’s reputation for mentorship, research, and leadership prepared him to take the helm in Houston
By Archer Parquette
When Arash Bashirullah arrived at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy in 2007, he was an assistant professor fresh off his postdoctoral fellowship, with hopes of making a mark. Over the next 18 years, he ascended to full professor of pharmaceutical sciences and an associate dean, having served in numerous leadership roles across the School and university. Now, he’s been tapped to lead the University of Houston’s College of Pharmacy as its new dean.
UH announced in October that Bashirullah has been selected to succeed the school’s longtime dean, taking over leadership of one of the oldest pharmacy schools in Texas starting in January 2026.
“We are looking forward to Dr. Bashirullah’s arrival at the University of Houston. He brings energy, expertise and experience to our College of Pharmacy,” said Diane Chase, UH’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
“Arash has been an extraordinary member of the School for nearly 20 years. His curiosity, creativity, and commitment to mentoring have elevated every part of our mission.”
–Steve Swanson
“It’s been an extraordinary journey,” Bashirullah says of his time at the School of Pharmacy. “Working alongside such talented and passionate students, staff, and faculty has pushed me to grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I first arrived 18 years ago. I will always treasure the spirit of collaboration here and the ethos of the Wisconsin Idea, that together we can truly make a difference.”
During his nearly two decades at the School of Pharmacy, Bashirullah was a force as an educator, a researcher, and a rising leader. He learned from fellow faculty and the School’s administration, contributed top research, mentored and inspired students, and eventually became a leader in the School’s research and graduate education efforts.
“Arash has been an extraordinary member of the School for nearly 20 years,” says Steve Swanson, dean of the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy. “His curiosity, creativity, and commitment to mentoring have elevated every part of our mission. We are immensely proud of all he has accomplished here, and we’re excited to see the impact he’ll make as a dean.”
Pushing research and graduate education forward
Bashirullah’s time at the School of Pharmacy was marked by growth in the School’s graduate programs. During his five years as associate dean for research and graduate education, the School’s research enterprise grew by more than 50%. He also helped expand graduate education with new master’s degree programs in applied drug development and psychoactive pharmaceutical investigation and implemented a hooding ceremony to celebrate these students’ achievements.
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to help strengthen the School’s research and graduate programs,” he says. “Those collective efforts reflect the creativity and dedication of our faculty, staff, and students; they are the real source of the School’s success.”
Bashirullah also took on other leadership roles. As executive director at the Lachman Institute for Pharmaceutical Development, established in 2022, he promoted multidisciplinary research, bringing together divisions and units within the School to work across fields and specialties to discover new biotherapeutics.
Specializing in genetics, Bashirullah led a multifaceted research group, exploring the inner workings of cells and the machinery of cell death, with implications for endocrinology, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. His current NIH-funded research is focused on intracellular lipid trafficking and its role in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
“I’ve been honored and privileged to form deep, lasting relationships here that I will always cherish, and I very much look forward to staying connected to this remarkable community.”
–Arash Bashirullah
He was also instrumental in a hiring initiative to enhance UW–Madison’s research into personalized cancer treatments, which use genetic technologies to determine more precise treatments for individual oncology cases.
His work at the School of Pharmacy has been published in leading journals including Nature Communications, Development, and Movement Disorders, and he serves as the senior advisory editor for Genetics journal for the Genetics Society of America.
A ‘community of scholars’
When Bashirullah considers what he most appreciates about his time at the School of Pharmacy, it’s not his research accomplishments, but the opportunity to mentor the next generation of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists at the School’s “growing community of scholars.”
“When I think about what I’m most proud of, it always comes back to the people,” he says. “Over the past 18 years, I’ve had the privilege of teaching, mentoring and working alongside students and trainees in the classroom, in the lab, and in countless hallway conversations. Watching them flourish during their time here and find their own paths in academia, industry, and patient care fills me with immense pride.”
As a professor, Bashirullah earned multiple honors, including Teacher of the Year in 2016, 2020, and 2024. The 2020 award from the graduating Pharmacology and Toxicology class noted that, “Dr. Bashirullah really seems to care about student success and works hard to make his content not only understandable but accessible to students.”
Bashirullah’s time at the School of Pharmacy prepared him to take on this next challenge leading the University of Houston’s College of Pharmacy — and he says that he’ll look back fondly on his time in Wisconsin.
“What makes the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy special is our people and its history,” Bashirullah says. “Generations of faculty, staff, students, and alumni have built an enduring legacy of excellence in research, education, and service. I’ve been honored and privileged to form deep, lasting relationships here that I will always cherish, and I very much look forward to staying connected to this remarkable community.”
