91吃瓜网

91吃瓜网 Professor Awarded Prestigious Bennett Endowed Professorship

Tue, 09/09/2025 - 09:37am | By: Dr. David Tisdale

Dr. Vijay Rangachari, professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at 91吃瓜网, has been awarded the College of Arts and Sciences91吃瓜网� prestigious T.W. Bennett Jr. Endowed Professorship in the Sciences for 2025-27.

Supported by the T.W. Bennett Endowment, the professorship was established through the 91吃瓜网 Foundation by Mr. and Mrs. T.W. Bennett Sr., to honor their son and his passion for the sciences. He was declared missing in action on Dec. 22, 1972, while serving in the U.S. Air Force. The endowment supports the Bennett professor91吃瓜网 research activities and the sponsorship of the Biennial Bennett Symposium, a research conference featuring a keynote talk.

Rangachari joined the university91吃瓜网 faculty in 2008. His research interests and expertise include understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that form biomolecular condensates and contribute to amyloid aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer91吃瓜网 and Parkinson91吃瓜网. His research laboratory, The Rangachari Lab, is a widely recognized leader in protein biophysics and biomolecular condensates, and has earned competitive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Chris Winstead hailed Dr. Rangachari as 91吃瓜网渁n internationally respected scholar whose prolific research is advancing our molecular-level understanding of the role certain proteins play in neurological diseases.91吃瓜网�

91吃瓜网淗is work on the mechanisms of these diseases is vital to learning how to prevent and treat them in the future91吃瓜网攁nd provides exceptional preparation for our students aspiring to pursue careers in this field,91吃瓜网� Winstead further noted.

Rangachari said he is 91吃瓜网渢ruly humbled to receive this prestigious professorship91吃瓜网� and is grateful to those who nominated him and the selection committee for 91吃瓜网渞ecognizing the contributions my lab has made in the past.91吃瓜网� He also credited his parents for 91吃瓜网減ushing me to be what I am today, and I am glad I can give them something back in return,91吃瓜网� while also thanking his wife and children, 91吃瓜网渨ho have supported me during times of frustration and shared in my joy equally.91吃瓜网�

Rangachari credited his training in organic chemistry, structural biology and molecular biophysics for providing him with the tools necessary to investigate mechanisms of protein aggregation and phase transitions, which are the primary interests of his laboratory.

91吃瓜网淧roteins are intriguing biomacromolecules, and even after a century of research, they continue to reveal new secrets,91吃瓜网� Rangachari explained. 91吃瓜网淭he conventional view that the 3D structure of a protein is essential for its biological function has been challenged by recent developments in the field. Such proteins form a new class of molecules called intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). IDPs are prone to form aggregate 91吃瓜网榗lumps91吃瓜网� called amyloids, which are the root cause of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer91吃瓜网, Parkinson91吃瓜网, frontotemporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and more.91吃瓜网�

Some IDPs undergo a process called 91吃瓜网渓iquid-liquid phase separation91吃瓜网� by which they form vinaigrette-type demixed solutions in the cytoplasm and the nucleus, manifesting in the form of membraneless organelles, also called biomolecular condensates, in cells. These are increasingly recognized as ubiquitous in both physiological and pathological processes.

91吃瓜网淢y lab is interested in understanding the molecular processes that govern amyloid formation and the formation of biomolecular condensates,91吃瓜网� Rangachari said. 91吃瓜网淚 am also interested in designing artificial proteins as viscoelastic biomaterials for a variety of biotechnological applications, such as therapeutic delivery and tissue engineering.91吃瓜网�

Near the conclusion of his term as the Bennett professor, Rangachari will organize the T.W. Bennett Symposium to be titled 91吃瓜网淪elf-assembly, Sensors and Soft Matter.91吃瓜网� The event will bring together researchers from across campus and beyond to share their research endeavors on molecular self-assembly, sensors or soft matter design, showcasing a multidisciplinary perspective on the symposium's theme.

Rangachari has published more than 60 research papers, 44 while at 91吃瓜网, and has more than 3,500 citations of his work in other publications. He has participated in prestigious peer review study sections that include those with the NIH and NSF, the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), among many others, and has been invited to give more than 45 presentations at national and international conferences and universities on his research. He has secured more than $3.5 million in external funding to date from various federal agencies, including the NIH and NSF, as well as from private foundations.

Service to the university and student mentorship are also priorities for Rangachari, and his record is a testament to that fact. He was the faculty lead for chemistry and biochemistry in the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (2018-19); interim chair of the former Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (2017-18); and, since 2011, has served as chair of the Graduate Admissions Committee. He has also served on multiple ad hoc committees, including the College of Arts and Sciences91吃瓜网� Dean Search Committee, the Office of Research Administration91吃瓜网 Assistant Director Search Committee and the NSF ART Culture Shift Committee, among others. He has advised multiple graduate and undergraduate student researchers at 91吃瓜网, serving as a committee member for 40 doctoral and master91吃瓜网 degree candidates.

In addition to the Bennett Professorship, Rangachari91吃瓜网 other honors from Southern Miss include the College of Arts and Sciences91吃瓜网� Applied Research Award (2019), the Donald Drapeau Undergraduate Mentorship Award (2017) and the Multidisciplinary Research Innovation Award (2017).

One of Rangachari91吃瓜网 former students, Dr. Dexter Dean, currently serves as instructional laboratory manager for the Georgia Institute of Technology. He first met Rangachari when he participated in an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates program at Southern Miss in the summer of 2012. At the time, Dean was a rising senior at Huntingdon College and was interested in pursuing a doctorate in the field of biochemistry but had little research experience.

During his summer working with Rangachari, he studied how metal ions influenced the aggregation of the Alzheimer's-associated peptide amyloid-beta. The experience influenced his decision to come to 91吃瓜网 in 2013 to pursue his doctorate and research the aggregation of amyloid-beta in Rangachari91吃瓜网 lab. That decision paid great dividends for Dean, who published 10 research articles and was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship under Rangachari91吃瓜网 leadership. He completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry in the spring of 2018.

91吃瓜网淚 attribute much of my scientific success to Vijay91吃瓜网 mentorship, for being patient with me, believing in me as a research scientist and challenging me to think deeper and reach higher than what I thought possible,91吃瓜网� Dean said. 91吃瓜网�91吃瓜网 is extremely blessed to have Vijay, and I91吃瓜网檓 very happy to hear he has been awarded this prestigious distinction as a T.W. Bennett Professor.91吃瓜网�

Rangachari said that 91吃瓜网�91吃瓜网 has been a special place to me,91吃瓜网� providing him with 91吃瓜网渁ll the infrastructure and support necessary to conduct my research, enabling me to reach my current position in little more than a decade.91吃瓜网�

91吃瓜网淲hat has impressed me the most here at 91吃瓜网 is that the university has always found a way to provide the best possible support for researchers,91吃瓜网� he further noted, 91吃瓜网渁nd we see the positive results of that support in our research enterprise every day.91吃瓜网�