Yongchao Su

Yongchao Su is a Senior Principal Scientist at Merck & Co., Inc., with more than a decade of industry R&D experience leading the development of modern medicines across small-molecule and biologic modalities. Dr. Su serves as a drug product development lead for clinical programs, providing scientific and cross-functional leadership to advance drug candidates from early development through clinical development, including formulation and process development, analytical development, GMP manufacturing, regulatory activities, and clinical supply. He is internationally recognized for advancing the mechanistic understanding and scientific rationale underlying drug stability, formulation, and delivery to enable robust drug product design and development, with expertise spanning biophysics, materials and formulation sciences, and advanced spectroscopic and analytical characterization. In recognition of his contributions to pharmaceutical sciences, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (FAAPS) in 2025. Dr. Su has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications (H-Index = 46) and is a co-inventor on patents spanning chemical, biological, and device technologies. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of AAPS Open (Springer Nature) and on the Editorial Advisory Boards of Molecular Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Research, and the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He is also a passionate mentor and advocate for academia-industry collaboration, actively engaged in graduate education, scientific mentorship, and career development for scientists and students across academia and industry.