Ramesh Rijal

Ramesh Rijal serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he leads research on bacterial immune evasion mechanisms and antibiotic resistance. He is the Primary Instructor for the SEA-PHAGES program's Spring 2025 phage discovery section, teaching 40 undergraduates using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a host organism.

His laboratory investigates how bacterial polyphosphate (polyP) secreted by pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis subverts macrophage defenses through modulation of phagosome acidification, lysosome activity, autophagy, and cell polarization. Current research also explores polyP's role in bacterial stress adaptation, cell envelope biogenesis, and biofilm formation, aiming to develop small-molecule inhibitors that disrupt polyP signaling to overcome drug tolerance.

Dr. Rijal actively recruits undergraduate and graduate researchers for his laboratory, emphasizing hands-on training in microbial pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions. His work bridges fundamental immunology with translational approaches to combat multidrug-resistant infections, particularly focusing on vulnerabilities in bacterial stress-response pathways.