Vijay Parashar

Vijay Parashar is an Associate Professor at the University of Delaware, affiliated with the College of Health Sciences and the Department of Medical & Molecular Sciences. His research combines structural and functional analyses to study bacterial signaling mechanisms during pathogenesis and phage defense.

• PhD in Molecular Bioscience, Panjab University
• MSc in Biotechnology, Thapar University
• BSc in Biology, Panjab University

His work focuses on second messenger signaling (e.g., c-di-AMP) and CRISPR system interactions, aiming to develop anti-infectives that target bacterial communication rather than viability. Recent projects explore RNA transport mechanisms and extracellular vesicle dynamics through structural biology and biochemical assays.

Publications highlight trends in structural biology, bacterial signaling, and RNA imaging, with methodologies including X-ray crystallography and high-throughput screening. His lab collaborates on grants like the NSF Multi-PI Research Grant for extracellular circular RNA studies.

• NIH-NIGMS Outstanding Investigator Award
• University of Delaware Research Foundation Award
• College of Health Sciences Excellence in Research Award
• New Jersey Health Foundation Research Excellence Award

He mentors students across PhD, Master’s, and undergraduate programs, including alumni like Dr. Anirudha Dutta (independent lab founder) and graduate awardees such as Pengjun Xia (Carson’s Best Graduate Publication) and Julia Perkowski. Lab facilities include AKTA PURE/FPLC systems, X-ray diffraction, and shared resources at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute.