Eric L. Barker is the Vice President for Health Affairs and the Jeannie and Jim Chaney Dean of Pharmacy at Purdue University. In addition to his role as dean, he has served as Associate Provost for Graduate Programs (acting; 2023-2024) and Campus Team Lead for Purdue’s COVID-19 response (2020-2022). He holds the academic rank of Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology in the Purdue College of Pharmacy. Before being appointed dean, he held appointments as Associate Dean for Research (2010-2017) and Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs (2007-2010) in the Purdue College of Pharmacy. He joined the Purdue faculty in 1998. He received his BS in pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy, a PhD in pharmacology from Vanderbilt University, and completed postdoctoral research at Vanderbilt and Emory University.

Dr. Barker is a neuropharmacologist and an award-winning undergraduate teacher. He is a member of several professional associations, including the American Pharmacists Association, Society for Neuroscience, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, where he has served in leadership positions for the Neuropharmacology Division. From 2016-2021, he served as editor-in-chief for Pharmacological Reviews, a top-ranked quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Dr. Barker’s research interests are in the area of molecular actions of drugs of abuse and other drugs that affect the brain. He has received grant support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Mental Health, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, Lilly Research Laboratories, and DARPA. In addition to his scholarly pursuits, he has been recognized for his efforts in teaching medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, having received the Purdue College of Pharmacy Dr. Aziz Outstanding Teaching Award as well as the Purdue University Charles B. Murphy Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award (the highest university-level teaching award) and selection to the Purdue Teaching Academy and the Purdue Book of Great Teachers. Dr. Barker was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (now the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis) in 2018.