Vikram Pratap Narayan

Title
Assistant Professor
Email
Department
Biology and Chemistry Dept
College
College of Arts & Sciences

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.

Dr. Narayan earned a 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 from Lille Catholic University in France and dual bachelor's degrees from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. His international academic journey has been supported by competitive fellowships and grants from institutions in France, South Korea, Australia, the UK and the United States.

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 pathways, metabolites and candidate interventions for healthy aging across species. He is also interested in ecological health and human–wildlife interactions, which he integrates into field-based research with undergraduates.

His work has been published in journals such as Nature Communications, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Scientific Reports, Royal Society Open Science, Evolution and Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. At Embry-Riddle, he leads research projects on ecological monitoring of Arizona’s spring ecosystems and aviation safety issues involving wildlife. He is also a proponent of 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.

Dr. Narayan has more than a decade of international teaching and research experience across Fiji, France, Belgium, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He has received recognition for teaching excellence, including the University of Queensland’s Outstanding Efforts in Teaching Award. In addition to his academic roles, he contributes to global science communication and language equity through the translatE initiative—featured in Nature and Science—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.

  • Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Science, University of Queensland
  • BIO 120: Foundations of Biology I
  • BIO 120L: Foundations of Biology I Lab
  • BIO 121: Foundations of Biology II
  • BIO 121L: Foundations of Biology II Lab
  • BIO 215L: Genetics Laboratory
  • BIO 308: Principles of Ecology
  • BIO 308L: Principles of Ecology Lab
  • BIO 210: Research
  • BIO 403: Wildlife and Airports