Vikram Narayan

Biography

Dr. Vikram Narayan is an assistant professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry. He teaches foundational and upper-level biology courses and mentors undergraduate research in genetics, bioinformatics and ecology. He earned his joint Ph.D. in biological sciences specializing in quantitative genetics and evolutionary biology from the University of Queensland and the University of Exeter, both ranked among the top 1% of universities globally. He also holds an M.Sc. in biotechnology with a specialization in sustainability and quality management from Lille Catholic University in France and dual bachelor's degrees from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.

Dr. Narayan’s research focuses on gene-environment interactions in aging, evolutionary genetics and multi-omics approaches to health and lifespan. His doctoral and postdoctoral work used statistical genetics and comparative genomics to explore how environmental and genetic variation influence interventions for healthy aging across species. He is also interested in ecological health and human-wildlife interactions, which he integrates into course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), incorporating open-source data and multi-species comparative models to make research accessible and meaningful for students. His teaching philosophy emphasizes inclusive, data-driven learning environments that bridge theory and practice across disciplines. His work has been published in journals such as Nature Communications, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Royal Society Open Science, Evolution and Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. 

Dr. Narayan has more than a decade of international teaching and research experience supported by competitive grants, fellowships and awards across Fiji, France, Belgium, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. In addition to his academic roles, he contributes to global science communication and language equity through the translatE initiative which advocates for multilingual accessibility in science publishing.

Outside of the lab and the classroom, Dr. Narayan serves as an abstract reviewer for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and reviews for journals such as Aging Cell, Scientific Reports and The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging. He enjoys mentoring students from diverse backgrounds and is committed to preparing the next generation of scientists to apply biological knowledge to real-world challenges.

Education

• Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Science, University of Queensland and University of Exeter

Currently Teaching

• BIO 120: Foundations of Biology I
• BIO 120L: Foundations of Biology I Lab
• BIO 215L: Genetics Laboratory
• BIO 308: Principles of Ecology
• BIO 308L: Principles of Ecology Lab

Publications

Select Publications

1. Hilsabeck, T.A.U*., Narayan, V.P*., Wilson, K.A. et al. (2024). Systems biology approaches identify metabolic signatures of dietary lifespan and healthspan across species. Nature Communications. *Equal Author Contribution

2. Henry Arenas-Castro, Violeta Berdejo-Espinola, … Narayan, V.P... & Amano, T (2024). Academic publishing requires linguistically inclusive policies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

3. Narayan, V.P, Wasana, N., Wilson, A.J and Chenoweth, S.F (2024). Misaligned plastic and evolutionary responses of lifespan to novel carbohydrate diets. Royal Society Open Science.

4. Yoon, S.Y* and Narayan, V.P.* (2022). Genetically predicted glucosamine and longevity: a Mendelian Randomization study. Clinical Nutrition ESPN.* Equal author contribution

5. Narayan, V. P., & Yoon, S. Y. (2022). Associations of Blood Caffeine and Genetically Predicted Coffee Consumption with Anthropometric Measures of Obesity: A Two Sample Mendelian Randomization Study. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.

6. Narayan, V.P, Wilson, A.J and Chenoweth, S.F. (2022). The Genetic and Social Contributions to Sex Differences in Lifespan in Drosophila serrata. Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

7. Lee, J., Narayan, V. P., Hong, E. Y., Whang, W. K., and Park, T. (2017). Artemisia Iwayomogi Extract Attenuates High-Fat Diet-Induced Hypertriglyceridemia in Mice: Potential Involvement of the Adiponectin-AMPK Pathway and Very Low-Density Lipoprotein Assembly in the Liver. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

8. Chu, S., Narayan, V. P., Sung, M. K., and Park, T. (2017). Piperonal attenuates visceral adiposity in mice fed a high-fat diet: potential involvement of the adenylate cyclase-protein kinase A dependent pathway. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

9.Yoo, A., Narayan, V. P., Hong, E. Y., Whang, W. K., and Park, T. (2017). Scopolin ameliorates high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis in mice: potential involvement of SIRT1-mediated signaling cascades in the liver. Scientific Reports.

Peer-reviewed Communication

10. Sun, S.-J. and Narayan, V.P. (2022), Digest: Deprivation of parental care reveals the value of sibling cooperation in burying beetles. Evolution.

11. Narayan, V.P. (2021), Digest: On the contribution of phenotypic plasticity to adaptation in desert environments*. Evolution.

12. Narayan, V.P. and Wang, Y. (2021), Digest: Does size matter? Condition-dependent sexual selection in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution.

13. Narayan, V.P., Wasana, N., Wang, Y. and Conradsen, C. (2021), Digest: More than just a pretty fin: The evolution of sexual ornaments in killifish. Evolution. 

14. Sun, S.-J*., Narayan, V.P*., Wang, Y. and Wasana, N. (2022), Digest: Nature and nurture: Influences of parental care and rearing environment on phenotypic plasticity in Nicrophorus vespilloides. Evolution.

15. Narayan, V.P. (2020), Digest: Sexually selected weapons: Winning the fight, but losing the war for reproduction on a changing battlefield*. Evolution.