Chella Kamarajan

Chella Kamarajan, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, affiliated with the Henri Begleiter Neurodynamics Laboratory (HBNL) since 2002. His research spans neuroscience, genetics, and psychiatry, focusing on alcohol use disorder (AUD) and related conditions using brain electrophysiology (EEG), neuroimaging (fMRI), and machine learning techniques.

• Education Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (NIMHANS, India) M.Phil. in Medical & Social Psychology (Central Institute of Psychiatry, India) MA in Psychology (Annamalai University, India)

Dr. Kamarajan has contributed to over 139 publications, including 28 as first author, with a focus on neurocognitive factors in AUD, genetic risk scores, and neural connectivity. He has served as a co-investigator in NIH-funded projects like the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) and a co-PI in an NIH R01 project.

His teaching includes neuroscience and research methods for medical students, psychiatry residents, and fellows. He chairs the Research Committee of Psychiatry and directs a research elective on the Neuroscience of Addiction. Dr. Kamarajan is actively involved in peer review (100+ reviews across 20+ journals) and serves on NIH/CSR study sections and international funding panels.

Key research trends from his publications include:

• Genetic and neurophysiological correlates of AUD
• Machine learning models for predicting alcohol-related outcomes
• Neural oscillations and connectivity in addiction
• Polygenic risk scores and environmental interactions
• Role of trauma and cognition in substance use
• Functional genomics and neurodegenerative links