Vikas Bhandawat

Vikas Bhandawat is an Associate Professor at Drexel University's School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, where he leads the Bhandawat Laboratory. His research focuses on understanding how animal behavior emerges from the complex interaction between the nervous system, the body, and the environment, using Drosophila (fruit flies) as a model organism due to their relatively simple brain and available genetic tools.

His educational background includes:

• MS in Chemistry (Integrated BS and MS) from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India (1993-1998)
• PhD in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (1999-2005), with thesis on "Elementary Events Underlying Olfactory Transduction"
• Postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School (2005-2009) under Prof. Rachel Wilson

Dr. Bhandawat's research spans multiple timescales of behavior, from milliseconds to minutes, with a focus on sensorimotor integration during locomotion. His lab employs a highly interdisciplinary approach combining in vivo whole-cell patch clamp recordings, imaging, quantitative behavioral measurement, biomechanics, and computational modeling. His work has revealed that fly locomotion can be decomposed into discrete "locomotor features" that are modularly affected by odors, providing insight into how sensory information transforms into action.

An analysis of his recent publications shows a consistent focus on understanding the neural and biomechanical basis of locomotion across multiple timescales. His work bridges neuroscience, biomechanics, and computational approaches, with particular emphasis on odor-modulated locomotion, descending motor control, and the biomechanics of legged locomotion in Drosophila. His research demonstrates how complex behaviors emerge from relatively simple neural systems.

Dr. Bhandawat has built a productive research program with numerous publications in high-impact journals including Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, eLife, and PNAS. His work has contributed significantly to our understanding of how sensory information is transformed into motor output in a relatively simple model system.

His laboratory actively mentors students and researchers, employing a multi-pronged approach to study behavior. The lab seeks to create the next generation of professionals with multidisciplinary skills necessary to tackle complex real-world problems. They are particularly interested in building a diverse team of biologists, neuroscientists, and engineers to address questions spanning from sensation to action.

The Bhandawat Laboratory focuses on three main research areas: 1) From Sensation to Action (algorithms and circuits underlying transformation of sensation to action), 2) Descending Motor Control (studying descending pathways in Drosophila), and 3) Biomechanics of Locomotion (understanding the mechanics of legged movement). The lab has developed innovative techniques for recording neural activity while measuring behavior and has made significant contributions to understanding how odors modulate locomotion through discrete behavioral states.