Ramji Bhandari

Dr. Ramji Bhandari is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri. He holds a Ph.D. from Hokkaido University in Japan. His research program focuses on understanding how gene-environment interactions lead to adverse health outcomes, particularly through epigenetic mechanisms. His lab investigates how environmental stressors during sensitive developmental stages can cause adult-onset or transgenerational health effects in reproduction, metabolism, and behavior.

Research interests include epigenetic memory establishment in somatic and germline cells, CRISPR-based epigenome editing, and development of mitigation strategies for environmental health effects. The lab employs comparative approaches using in vitro human cell models and in vivo animal models (fish and rodents), combined with next-generation genomics and bioinformatics.

Dr. Bhandari's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on environmental toxicants like BPA and PFOS, their transgenerational effects, and mechanisms underlying reproductive and metabolic disorders. His articles consistently show interdisciplinary approaches combining molecular biology, toxicology, and epigenetics to address fundamental questions in environmental health.

Scientific honors include:

• Rising Star in Endocrine Disruption Research (Gordon Conference, 2022)
• Thomas Undergraduate Research Mentor Award (University of North Carolina, 2019)
• Bernard and Glickman Dean's Professorship (2018)

As principal investigator of the Bhandari Lab, he mentors graduate students and leads research on epigenetic mechanisms of environmental health impacts.