Dr. Mallari earned bachelor degrees in Biology and Biochemistry from San Francisco State University in 2000 and 2002. He completed his PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at UC San Francisco in 2008, and subsequently trained as an HHMI postdoctoral research associate at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Mallari’s research focuses on understanding protease biology in the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. His lab is currently focused on understanding two parasite metalloproteases called falcilysin and neurolysin. Although both of these enzymes are required by the parasite to infect and replicate in the human host, their biological roles are not well understood. Dr. Mallari’s lab utilizes a wide range of approaches to study the functions of these proteases, including organic synthesis, biochemistry, and molecular biology. His lab is currently working to design, synthesize, and evaluate selective small molecule inhibitors against falcilysin and neurolysin. This will provide valuable chemical tools for studying the basic biology of these proteases and will help to evaluate their potential as targets for anti-malarial chemotherapy.