2008                       Ph. D. in Pharmacology , Manipal University, Manipal – 567104, INDIA.                                                                                                                                        Dissertation: Irradiation-induced DNA double strand break and genomic instability.

Oct 2021 – Present Associate Professor, NIPER Hajipur – 824102, Bihar, India

Mar 2016 – June 2021 Assistant Professor, University of California, Irvine – 92604, USA

May 2015 – June 2021 Senior Scientist, NASA Specialized Center of Research, UCI, USA

July 2013 – Mar 2016 Project Scientist, University of California, Irvine – 92697, and USA

Jan 2011 – June 2013 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Irvine – 92697, USA

Nov 2008 – Dec 2010 Postdoctoral Fellow, DUKE University, Durham – 27705, USA

Statement of Research: My current research aims to explore the sex differences brain function, and eventually aimed at developing more targeted therapy, especially for those diseases where sex differences are most prominent. Much of my work is centered on defining the consequences of cancer treatment-induced changes in CNS functionality and in developing pharmacologic, genetic and stem cell-based interventions for resolving these treatment-associated cognitive decrements.

HONOURS and AWARD

1. Early career investigator travel award and invited speaker, Radiation Research Society (2019, 2008, 2017)
2. Young investigator award, International Congress of Radiation Research (ICRR), Kyoto, Japan (2015)
3. Scholars in Training (SIT) travel award, Radiation Research Society (2015)
4. Stem cell travel award and invited speaker, International Society for Neural Therapy & Repair, and American Society for Neural Therapy & Repair (2010 and 2009)
5. Krishna Gulati Bursary Award, Indian Pharmacological Society (2006)
6. Best Research Scholar Award, Manipal University (2005)

FIVE BEST PUBLICATIONS

1. PARIHAR VK, ALLEN B, TRAN KK, MACARAEG TG, CHU EM, KWOK SF, CHMIELEWSKI NN, CRAVER BM, BAULCH JE, ACHARYA MM,  CUCINOTTA FA, LIMOLI CL. WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BRAIN ON THE WAY TO MARS. SCI. ADV. 2015;1:E1400256

2. BAULCH JE, ACHARYA MM, ALLEN BD, RU N, CHMIELEWSKI NN, MARTIROSIAN V, GIEDZINSKI E, SYAGE A, PARK AL, BENKE SN, PARIHAR VK, LIMOLI CL. CRANIAL GRAFTING OF STEM CELL-DERIVED MICROVESICLES IMPROVES COGNITION AND REDUCES NEUROPATHOLOGY IN THE IRRADIATED BRAIN. PROC NATL ACAD SCI U S A. 2016 APR 26;113: 4836-41.

3. PARIHAR VK, LIMOLI CL (2013). CRANIAL IRRADIATION COMPROMISES NEURONAL ARCHITECTURE IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS. PROC NATL ACAD SCI U S A, 110(31):12822-7.

4. CHRISTIE LA, ACHARYA MM, PARIHAR VK, NGUYEN A, MARTIROSIAN V, LIMOLI CL. IMPAIRED COGNITIVE FUNCTION AND HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROGENESIS FOLLOWING CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY. CLIN CANCER RES. 18[2012] 1954-65.

5. PARIHAR VK, HATTIANGADY B, KURUBA R, SHUAI B, SHETTY AK. PREDICTABLE CHRONIC MILD STRESS IMPROVES MOOD, HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROGENESIS AND MEMORY. MOL PSYCHIATRY. 16 [2011] 171-83.

RESEARCH GRANT AWARD ($ 30 million in last 6 years: as PI, Co-I, or Institutional PI)

1. ENDOCANNABINOIDS FOR COGNITIVE AGING AND NEURODEGENERATION( PI, DST START-UP RESEARCH GRANT, 2022-24, RS 32L).

2. IMPACT OF ENDOCANNABINOID MODULATION ON THE MICROGLIAL TRANSCRIPTOME IN A MOUSE MODEL OF GULF WAR ILLNESS (PI, SOM UCI, 2019-2021)

3. MECHANISMS UNDERLYING RADIATION-AND CHEMOTHERAPY INDUCED COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (CO-I, NIH R01, 2016- 2021).

4. MECHANISMS UNDERLYING CHARGED PARTICLE-INDUCED DISRUPTION OF CNS FUNCTION (INSTITUTIONAL PI, NASA, NNX15AI22G-NSCOR, 2015-2021)

5. BIOPHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF AGE AND DOSE DEPENDENT CHANGES TO DENDRITIC MORPHOLOGY THAT IMPACT COGNITION FOLLOWING RADIATION CANCER THERAPY (CO-I, NIH R01, 5R01CA208526, RO1, 2016-2022)

6. CHARGED PARTICLE EFFECTS ON NEURONAL INJURY, PLASTICITY AND NEURODEGENERATION (CO-I, NASA, NNX13AD59G, 2012-2016).