Bill Charman

Bill Charman
Born
William Neil Charman

Melbourne, Australia
EducationVictorian College of Pharmacy (now part of Monash University)
Scientific career
Fieldspharmaceutical science
drug delivery
drug discovery
WorkplacesMonash University

William Neil Charman AO[1] is an Australian pharmaceutical scientist and educator known for his contributions to drug discovery, drug delivery, and pharmaceutical education. He is an Emeritus Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor at Monash University, where he previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences from 2007 to 2019, and as the Founding Director of the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) from 2007 to 2017.[2][3]

Early life and education

Charman was born in Melbourne, Australia. He obtained a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) from the Victorian College of Pharmacy (now part of Monash University) in 1981, before completing his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical chemistry (with honours) in 1986 through the Takeru Higuchi Intersearch Ph.D. Program, a joint doctoral initiative between the Victorian College of Pharmacy and the University of Kansas, under the supervision of Professor Valentino J. Stella.[4][5] He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) by the University of London in 2011 in recognition of his contributions to pharmaceutical science.[6]

Academic career

Following his doctorate studies, Charman began his professional career at the Sterling-Winthrop Research Institute in New York[7] as a Senior Research Scientist and then Group Leader in pharmaceutical sciences between 1986 and 1988. [8]He returned to Australia in 1989 to take up an academic position at the Victorian College of Pharmacy, where he progressed to Professor of Pharmaceutics in 1995.[9]

In 2000, he co-founded the Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation (CDCO) at Monash University, which pioneered an integrated academic model of translational drug discovery and development.[3] Charman led the establishment of the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) in 2007 and served as its Founding Director until 2017.[10] MIPS became a leading international centre for drug discovery and the pharmaceutical sciences.[11] As Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences from 2007 to 2019, he led a period of major transformation, expanding research capacity, strengthening industry collaboration, and redesigning the curriculum to prepare graduates for a global pharmaceutical landscape.[3][2]

Under Charman’s leadership, the Monash pharmacy program achieved international distinction, ranked #1 in Australia, #1 in the Asia-Pacific, and among the top three globally in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (pharmacy and pharmacology) between 2015 and 2020. [12]

Throughout his academic career, Charman has held numerous leadership and advisory positions with major international scientific, policy organizations and pharma companies.[3]  He chaired the Wellcome Trust Seeding Drug Discovery Funding Committee in London from 2006 to 2010, and was a member of the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Expert Scientific Advisory Committee in Geneva from 2005 to 2011, an advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO), served on scientific advisory panels for Pfizer Inc (New York) from 2010 to 2020.[13] He has been a co-founder and non-executive board member of a number of drug delivery and drug discovery companies. He served as a Member of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Bureau (Board of Directors)[14] and as Chair of the Education Executive Committee (FIPEd) between 2015 and 2020.[15][16]

Research

Charman’s research integrates the disciplines of drug discovery, drug delivery, and pharmacokinetics, focusing particularly on neglected tropical diseases and translational medicine.[17] His investigations into lymphatic drug transport[18], lipid-based formulations and oral drug delivery systems have advanced fundamental understanding, drug development and theirclinical application.[19]

He played a pivotal role in the discovery and optimization of antimalarial drugs, including the ozonide compounds OZ277 (arterolane, Synriam®), approved for use in India and several African nations, and OZ439 (artefenomel), a next-generation potential single-dose therapy.[20]

His collaborative research with the Medicines for Malaria Venture and other global consortia helped shape strategies for developing affordable, effective medicines for the developing world.[21]

Charman has published more than 370 scientific papers and communications, delivered over 200 invited lectures internationally, and has an h-index exceeding 79, reflecting his wide-reaching influence in the pharmaceutical sciences.[13] His research spans both fundamental science and translational application, bridging laboratory innovation and public health outcomes. In 2015, 2016 and 2018 he was recognized by Thomson Reuters/Clarivate Analytics as a highly-cited researcher (HiCi) in pharmacology and toxicology.[22]

As Dean of Monash’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, he modernized the academic structure, integrating experiential learning, international partnerships, and competency-based curricula.[9]

He was instrumental in founding PharmAlliance, an international partnership between Monash University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University College London, fostering collaboration in research, professional practice, and educational innovation.[23]

Through his leadership of FIPEd, Charman played a central role in convening the First Global Conference on Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Education in Nanjing, China, in 2016, which produced the Nanjing Statements a set of global frameworks for developing and strengthening the pharmacy workforce. His contributions helped redefine global standards in pharmaceutical education, practice, and professional development.[24]

Awards

In recognition of his distinguished service to tertiary education and pharmaceutical sciences, Charman was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2021.[1] His career has been recognized with numerous international awards, including the GlaxoWellcome International Achievement Award (1999)[3], the Australasian Pharmaceutical Sciences Association Medal (2005)[25], the Controlled Release Society International Career Achievement in Oral Drug Delivery Award (2006)[13] and the 2001, 2006, 2007 and 2010 Drug Discovery Project of the Year Awards from the Medicines for Malaria Venture (Geneva).[3]

He received the FIP Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress Research Achievement Award in 2007[26], the FIP Lifetime Achievement Award in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2014, and the Asian Federation of Pharmaceutical Sciences Nagai Distinguished Scientist Award in 2015.[27] More recently, he was honoured with the Kamal K. Midha Award for Exceptional Leadership from FIP in 2020[28] and the Takeru and Aya Higuchi Memorial Award from the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Japan in 2022.[29]

Charman is a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (FAAPS), an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (FRPharmS (Hon))[30], a Fellow of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FFIP)[25], and a Fellow of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Japan (FAPSTJ).[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Order of Australia recognition for Prof. Chris Fell and Prof. Bill Charman – ANFF". Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Professor Bill Charman AO retires from Monash, appointed Emeritus Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor". Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Bill Charman: The power of focus". Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "International lifetime achievement award for Monash scientist and dean". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "Professor Bill Charman is a member of Med Aditus' Board of Directors". Medaditus.
  6. ↑ "Prof. Bill Charman named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)". Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "IN THE NEWS: Bill Charman, member of Med Aditus Board of Directors, named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)". Med Aditus. 26 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 November 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Borchardt, Ronald T. (2003). "Editorial". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 92 (10): vii–viii. doi:10.1002/jps.10509.
  9. 1 2 "Dean receives prestigious international recognition - (Monash Memo, 23 May 2007)". www.monash.edu.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Director's Blog - 16 December 2019 - Lost in Translation... | Bio21 Molecular Science & Biotechnology Institute". www.bio21.unimelb.edu.au. Archived from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "A thousand flowers bloom: The 21st century". Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Monash University ranked #1 Pharmacy program, and top 3 in the world in Pharmacy and Pharmacology, for the third consecutive year". Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 "Professor Bill Charman". Alumni. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "FIP appoints a new Chair for FIP Education on pharmacy workforce and education". www.fip.org. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Prof. Bill Charman named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)". Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "FIP appoints a new Chair for FIP Education on pharmacy workforce and education". www.fip.org. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Charman, William N. (2000). "Lipids, Lipophilic Drugs, and Oral Drug Delivery—Some Emerging Concepts". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 89 (8): 967–978. doi:10.1002/1520-6017(200008)89:8<967::AID-JPS1>3.0.CO;2-R.
  18. ↑ Charman, William N. (23 May 2019). Lymphatic Transport of Drugs. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-43444-7.
  19. ↑ Trevaskis, Natalie L.; Charman, William N.; Porter, Christopher J. H. (17 March 2008). "Lipid-based delivery systems and intestinal lymphatic drug transport: a mechanistic update". Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 60 (6): 702–716. doi:10.1016/j.addr.2007.09.007. ISSN 0169-409X. PMC 7103284. PMID 18155316.
  20. ↑ Phyo, Aung Pyae; Jittamala, Podjanee; Nosten, François H.; Pukrittayakamee, Sasithon; Imwong, Mallika; White, Nicholas J.; Duparc, Stephan; Macintyre, Fiona; Baker, Mark; Möhrle, Jörg J. (2016). "Antimalarial activity of artefenomel (OZ439), a novel synthetic antimalarial endoperoxide, in patients with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria: an open-label phase 2 trial". Infectious Diseases. 16 (1): 61–69. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(15)00320-5. ISSN 1474-4457. PMC 4700386. PMID 26448141.
  21. ↑ "THE MEDICINES FOR MALARIA VENTURE" (PDF). ieg.
  22. ↑ "Bill Charman, Ph.D., Hon D.Sc. (Lond), FAAPS, Hon FRPharmS". Med Aditus. 18 May 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Sukkar, Elizabeth (26 June 2015). "Pharmacy schools take a global route to solving world problems". The Pharmaceutical Journal. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  24. ↑ "New global education role for Monash Dean of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences". OzTREKK. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  25. 1 2 Administrator, P. S. A. (15 September 2020). "Australian pharmacists recognised at FIP Congress". Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "International lifetime achievement award for Monash scientist and dean". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  27. ↑ "Professor Bill Charman recognised for exceptional leadership by International Pharmaceutical Federation". Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  28. ↑ "Professor Bill Charman recognised for exceptional leadership by International Pharmaceutical Federation". Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  29. ↑ "Awards". AFPS Website. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  30. ↑ "Four new RPS Honorary Fellowships awarded". The Pharmaceutical Journal. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
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