Dr. Rajshekhar Karpoormath is a full professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, South Africa. He heads the Synthetic and Medicinal Chemistry Research Group (SMCRG), concentrating primarily on anti-TB drug discovery. Additionally, SMCRG works on developing methodologies for important pharmaceutical scaffolds and biosensors. He has obtained numerous institutional, national, and international grants throughout his career, establishing a state-of-the-art drug discovery laboratory. Dr. Karpoormath collaborates actively with international institutions, fostering innovation in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. His contributions were recognized when he received a prestigious grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, serving as Co-PI in 2023 and PI in 2024, to enhance anti-TB drug development efforts. Since 2014, his research group has published over 180 peer-reviewed articles in international journals. He has consistently ranked among the leading researchers at UKZN and has demonstrated remarkable leadership in mentoring future scientists, supervising 44 postgraduate students (24 Ph.D. and 22 Master’s) as well as 18 postdoctoral scholars. Holding three patents, he has also forged numerous connections with stakeholders and pharmaceutical companies.