Ramesh Chandra

Ramesh Chandra, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and serves as Director of the UMB Virus Vector Core (VVC). His research focuses on molecular and behavioral mechanisms in addiction and depression, particularly through neuronal subtypes in the nucleus accumbens.

• Education: B.S. in Biology (1999), M.S. in Zoology (2001), PhD in Zoology (2010) from Indian institutions

Research spans addiction, depression, optogenetics, striatum biology, and epigenetic regulation, with a strong emphasis on mitochondrial dynamics in neuronal subtypes. His work includes cell-specific transcriptomics, gene therapy vector optimization, and pharmacological interventions in rodent models.

Scientific awards include the NARSAD Young Investigator Award and prior research fellowships from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. He has contributed to mitochondrial gene regulation, neuronal subtype plasticity, and gene therapy core leadership at UMB.