Congratulations to Professor Anand Chandrasekhar on being selected as a University of Missouri System Presidential Engagement Fellow. This program was established to share faculty accomplishments with the citizens of Missouri in their own communities

Dr. Chandrasekhar conducts research into the biological processes that give form and function to the brain and nervous system as well as the consequences of defects in these processes. He carries out these studies in fish and mouse embryos using histology, microscopy, genetics and biochemistry with support from the National Institutes of Health. As a Fellow, he will be sharing insights gained from decades of research in developmental biology. 

• Of Flies, Fish and Men: Understanding human biology using model organisms
  In this talk, Dr. Chandrasekhar will discuss the contributions made by research in organisms such as yeast cells, worms, flies, fish and mice in generating fundamental insight into understanding and treating human diseases.
• Stem Cells: Implications for Personalized Medicine and Model Organism Research
  In this talk, Dr. Chandrasekhar will discuss the discovery of stem cells, the ethical issues associated with stem cells, and their ongoing impact on personalized/precision medicine and research using model organisms. 
• Wiring the Brain:  Discovering the Mechanisms and their Relevance to Human Biology
  In this talk, Dr. Chandrasekhar will discuss the challenges involved in building the brain and the process of discovering the rules for building it.  He will highlight recent advances in deciphering the wiring of the human brain and its implications for health and disease. 

Dr. Chandrasekhar received undergraduate degrees in Biology and Electrical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India. He received a PhD in Developmental Biology from the University of Iowa and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Neurobiology at the University of Michigan before joining the University of Missouri. Anand has been recognized for his excellence in teaching by the Purple Chalk (2005) and Kemper Fellow (2008) awards.