Neeraj Vij, PhD

Neeraj Vij, PhD, received his doctorate in Biotechnology from Indian Institute of Technology in 2001. He was also a recipient of international fellowship at Biological Research Center, Institute of Genetics in Hungary in the same year. He subsequently completed his postdoctoral research at University of Heidelberg, Germany and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He was Assistant Professor at the Department of Pediatrics-Pulmonary Medicine and Institute of Nano-Biotechnology, at Johns Hopkins prior to moving to Central Michigan University. Dr. Vij serves on the editorial boards of several high-impact journals and has been invited to help organize several conferences and seminars. He is also frequently invited to serve as a reviewer for various journals and grant review study sections. He is a Life Member of American Society for Nano Medicine and several other international scientific societies. He is a recipient of several research awards, grants (both from the NIH and foundations), and recognition for his scientific contributions. He has also been involved in training and education of students and research/clinical fellows in various capacities leading to placements at top-tier universities, medical schools or industries. The primary research focus of Dr. Vij's laboratory is identification of molecular pathways leading to chronic disease pathophysiology, with an aim to identify novel therapeutic sites. His laboratory is interested in applied and pre-clinical translational research and concentrates on the identification of novel therapeutic strategies including design and development of nano-based delivery systems for theranostic applications in chronic obstructive lung diseases. His current project was initiated by funding from NIH and FAMRI where primary goal of the study is to identify impact of second hand cigarette smoke on proteostasis and pathogenesis of COPD-emphysema.