About me
Dr. Proma Khondkar is a Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Analysis within the School of Life Sciences at the University of Westminster. She holds a PhD from Glasgow Caledonian University and previously served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the UCL School of Pharmacy. Dr. Khondkar has held academic positions across both FE and HEIs, including the NCC, University of Greenwich, the University of Brighton, and the University of Rajshahi. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a professional member of both the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC) and the Royal Society of Biology (MRSB). She is also a member of Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS).
With a strong background in Pharmaceutical Sciences, her research interests span pharmaceutical analysis, natural products, microbiology, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and public health, with a particular focus on epidemic threats. She has published more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals. She has been honoured with the Jack Petchey Foundation Leadership award in recognition of her exceptional encouragement and motivation of young people, earning her the title of an 'Outstanding Leader.'
Teaching
Dr. Proma Khondkar teaches across both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes. She contributes to several modules, including Analytical Techniques and Quality Processes, Drug Delivery, Formulation and Manufacturing, Biotherapeutics and Regenerative Medicines, Final Year Project in Life Sciences, Research Methods, Experimental and Therapeutic Pharmacology, Professional Development in Science and Bioscience in Action. She is Co-module leader for Analytical Techniques and Quality Processes. Dr. Khondkar actively supports student research, offering supervision for undergraduate and postgraduate research projects aligned with her areas of expertise. In addition, she provides academic mentorship and career guidance for students aspiring to pursue further study or careers in pharmaceutical research and public health.
Research
Dr. Khondkar's research focuses on natural product drug discovery, with a particular emphasis on the structural elucidation and bioactivity profiling of secondary metabolites derived from plants, fungi, and microbial sources. Her areas of interest include:
- Bioassay-guided characterization of antimicrobial lead compounds from medicinal plants and microbial culture broths
- Modulators of bacterial multidrug-efflux systems
- Synthetic modification of bioactive natural products
- Quality control and standardization of herbal medicines using advanced analytical techniques, including NIR, HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS, and GC-MS
- Tackling Mycotoxins in Herbal Products
- Synergistic effects of synbiotics (prebiotics + probiotics) as well as the potential of prebiotics and topical probiotics in promoting skin health
- Interdisciplinary research to tackle epidemic threats
Publications
For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.