Jianfeng Cai, Ph.D., is a USF Preeminent Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of South Florida. He obtained his B.S. and M.S. at Nanjing University, and received a Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis. The research in his laboratory is focused on the expansion of interdisciplinary research at the interface of chemistry and biology to discover novel peptidomimetics and other small molecules that modulate protein-protein interactions involved in critical cellular processes. Understanding how these compounds interact with proteins will help to reveal mechanisms governing cell activities. He is particularly interested in developing compounds that lead to the design of novel therapeutics potentially targeting cancer, HIV, and Alzheimer's disease, etc. Dr. Cai has received a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award (2009), an NSF Career award (2014), a Biomatik Distinguished Junior Faculty Award (2015). He has also received Faculty Outstanding Research Achievement Award (2015, 2018 and 2020), Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award (2020) and Outstanding Faculty Award (2021) from USF. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and was named USF Preeminent Professor in 2020.