Assem Mahmoud El-Sayed Barakat

Professor Assem Barakat is a Distinguished Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He earned his Ph.D. in 2010 through an elite international consortium involving Politecnico di Milano (Italy), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), and the University of Stuttgart (Germany). His pioneering research stands at the forefront of therapeutic discovery, with a principal focus on the rational design of novel anticancer agents. He is internationally recognized for his work on protein-protein interaction inhibitors, particularly targeting the p53-MDM2 pathway, alongside the development of small molecules inhibiting key oncological targets (HER2, CDK2, PI3K) and other therapeutic areas. A scholar of profound influence, Professor Barakat has authored over 330 scientific publications and holds five US patents. His scientific eminence is reflected by his consistent inclusion in the Stanford University/Elsevier list of the world's top 2% most-cited scientists (2020-2025). His distinguished career has been honored with the Arab Chemistry Award (2016) and the IAAM Scientist Medal (2020). Beyond his research, he is a devoted mentor to the next generation of scientists, having supervised the successful completion of 13 Master's and four Ph.D. theses.