Aashish Manglik, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, has been awarded the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in recognition of his transformative work in cellular signaling.

Presented by the Vilcek Foundation, the $50,000 prize is awarded to immigrant professionals who exemplify outstanding scientific achievement and whose work represents early-career contributions in their areas of research. Manglik is one of three recipients this year.

“It [the award] affirms the choice to leave one home in search of possibility in another,” Manglik said. “To be recognized alongside such extraordinary past recipients is an honor, and the real credit goes to my amazing trainees whose talent makes our discoveries possible and science worth doing.”

As a physician-scientist in the UCSF School of Pharmacy with a joint appointment in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care in the UCSF School of Medicine, Manglik has reshaped how researchers understand cellular communication, unveiling the complex molecular switches that govern processes ranging from heart rate to pain perception. Specifically, Manglik’s research uses an array of techniques — from biochemical and biophysical interrogation to protein engineering — to uncover how cells sense and respond to the world.

“Just like we use our eyes and nose to see and smell, the cells inside us have their own ways of detecting what’s happening, like knowing when adrenaline is pumping during a stressful moment, or when blood sugar rises after a meal,” he explains. “These signals are how cells ‘talk’ to each other.”

This knowledge of how G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) send and receive signals in our bodies can help scientists better understand how medications work. The 800 GPCRs in the human genome offer one of the most promising opportunities for developing new, more precise and effective treatments with fewer side effects.

In 2023, Manglik’s lab showed for the first time how a smell molecule activates a particular olfactory receptor. This groundbreaking discovery paves the way to better understand olfactory receptors, which make up half of the body’s GPCRs.

His current NIH-funded research focuses on further advancing our understanding of olfaction, including methods to produce these proteins and how to obtain more 3D structures of odorant receptors.

Manglik co-founded two biotechnology companies, Epiodyne and Stipple Bio, to translate insights from GPCR biology into new therapeutics. In 2024, he won the Byers Award that supports outstanding research of junior faculty members whose innovative ideas the National Institutes of Health deems too high risk for funding.

“We are so proud of Aashish Manglik's achievements,” said Brian Shoichet, PhD, chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. “His ability to ‘think differently’ is evident in his commitment to fundamental research despite his training as a physician-scientist.”

For Manglik, the Vilcek Prize carries both professional and personal significance, reflecting how his immigrant experience has shaped his identity and approach to scientific discovery.

He grew up as a first-generation Indian immigrant in the Midwest. Even after becoming a naturalized citizen, he said he often felt like he never quite fit in.

“I think this instilled in me a desire to be the person who ‘thought differently’ in any group,” Manglik said. “This nonconformist thinking has helped me pick areas of science that are unique from what others are working on, or choose approaches that others may not take on.”