Dr Shankar Varadarajan BPharm, ME, PhD

Personal Statement

Following a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy and an Engineering degree in Biotechnology, both from India in 2002, I carried out by doctoral studies in The University of Texas at Austin, USA, studying the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy and apoptosis. I then relocated to England to pursue my postdoctoral fellowship at the Medical Research Council - Toxicology Unit in Leicester from 2009 to 2013. During this time, I focussed on the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family of proteins and discovered a novel form of Endoplasmic Reticulum stress response, which led to an opportunity to work in the laboratory of Prof. Tom Kirchhausen at Harvard Medical School, USA. After my successful postdoctoral fellowship, I joined the University of Liverpool, where I have established a dynamic and productive laboratory with several members, studying the therapeutic relevance of BH3 mimetics in treating several cancers, such as haematological malignancies, pancreatic cancer as well as cancers of the head and neck, which have a particularly high incidence in the Liverpool area.

Prizes or Honours

• MRC Centenary Early Career Award (Medical Research Council UK, 2012)
• Outstanding Teaching Award (The University of Texas at Austin, USA, 2005)
• Award for academic excellence (Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, Pilani, India, 2001)

Funded Fellowships