Dr. Ashraf S. Ibrahim is a Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a senior researcher at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor‑UCLA Medical Center, where he also serves as Director of the Graduate Studies Program. He earned his B.Sc. in Biochemistry–Microbiology with honors from Kuwait University and received his Ph.D. in Microbial Physiology from Loughborough University of Technology (UK) in 1991. He completed postdoctoral training in Infectious Diseases in the laboratory of Dr. John E. Edwards, Jr. at Harbor‑UCLA.

Dr. Ibrahim’s research focuses on molecular pathogenesis, host–pathogen interactions, and immunotherapeutic strategies to combat fungal and bacterial infections. His work emphasizes mucormycosis pathogenesis, rapid diagnostics, and antibody‑based therapies, as well as vaccine strategies targeting multidrug‑resistant fungi and Gram‑negative bacteria. He is also actively engaged in antifungal drug discovery.

He is the founder of Vitalex Biosciences, a company dedicated to developing vaccines, immunotherapies, and diagnostics for fungal infections. Dr. Ibrahim’s research has been supported by NIH and industry funding totaling over $45 million. He has authored more than 200 peer‑reviewed publications and is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He previously served as a standing member of NIAID review panels focused on antimicrobial drug discovery and resistance.