Ramji Bhandari

Dr. Ramji Bhandari serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Biology Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro while maintaining an active research laboratory at the University of Missouri Columbia. His work bridges academic instruction with cutting-edge epigenetic research focused on environmental impacts on health across generations.

He holds a Ph.D. in Physiology from Hokkaido University and teaches undergraduate courses including Developmental Biology, Human Embryology and Teratology, Reproductive Biology, and Concepts in Biological Sciences. His educational background provides the foundation for his interdisciplinary research approach.

Dr. Bhandari's research program investigates how environmental stressors (chemical and non-chemical) induce epigenetic modifications that alter physiological functions and can be transmitted transgenerationally. His laboratory employs medaka fish, rodents, 2D/3D cell cultures, and human population studies to examine outcomes including NAFLD, PCOS, metabolic disorders, and developmental defects. Key methodologies include methylome profiling and CRISPR-mediated epigenome editing, with strong emphasis on sex-specific effects and multi-disease phenotypes.

His publication record reveals a dominant focus on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of environmentally induced diseases, particularly examining bisphenol A and PFOS exposures. The research consistently demonstrates multi-generational health impacts persisting beyond direct exposure, with growing attention to molecular mechanisms like ferroptosis pathways and sex-dimorphic gene expression patterns across environmental toxicology and epigenetics disciplines.

Dr. Bhandari actively mentors graduate and undergraduate students through formal research courses (BIO_SC 2950/4950/4952) and encourages fellowship applications to NSF, NIH, and philanthropic foundations. His laboratory provides hands-on training in epigenetic techniques and environmental health research methodologies.

The Bhandari Research Group operates from Lefevre Hall at the University of Missouri, utilizing integrated models spanning molecular, cellular, and organismal levels to unravel gene-environment interactions. Current projects focus on CRISPR-based epigenome editing applications and expanding population-based studies to validate transgenerational mechanisms in human health contexts.