Dr. Yajnavalka Banerjee is the Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences. He was awarded his PhD by The National University of Singapore in 2008. He pursued his postdoctoral studies at the prestigious Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, USA. He was then awarded the Alexander Humboldt Fellowship, and was an independent Research Fellow at the Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Gottingen, Germany, another world-renowned institution. His most recent appointment was at the College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman where he was the director of the Biomedical Sciences program, and involved in the teaching and coordination of Biochemistry courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Academic Appointments
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry
Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Research Fellow
Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Germany
Research Fellow
National Institue of Health (NIH) at the Scripps Research Institute, USA
Professional Education
PhD (Biochemistry)
National University of Singapore, Singapore
MSc (Microbiology)
University of Mumbai, India
BSc (Human Physiology)
University of Calcutta, India
Teaching
- Teaching Advanced instrumentation and Biochemical Techniques, Advanced Clinical Chemistry to Post graduate students
- Teaching Enzymology and metabolism, Foundation Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Principles of Genetics to Under graduate students
Honors and Awards
Recipient of the Astra-Zeneca travel award for International Cardiology Symposium and Diabetes Forum: Global Agenda
Recipient of the Pfizer travel award (http://www.pfizer.com/responsibility/grants_contributions/grants_and_contributions) for Physician’s Academy for Continuing Education (PACE) meeting on Atorvastatin
Recipient of the Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowship to conduct Post-doctoral Research
Max-Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen, Germany
Recipient of the international travel award from the Japanese Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis (JSTH) for their annual conference at Bangkok
Recipient of the Young investigator award awarded jointly awarded by the Asia-Pacifica Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis (APSTH) and Japanese Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis (JSTH)
Received the best poster award (1st Prize)
Biological Science Congress, Singapore
Received the Best Poster Award (1st Prize)
SCIENCE CONGRESS, Singapore
Obtained the Research Scholarship to pursue PhD degree in NUS
Qualified for Bachelor degree with distinction and stood first in the department
Received Dr. Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS) Award
Publications
Membership of Professional Bodies and Associations
- The American Heart Association, USA
- The National Lipid Association, USA
- Society of Toxicology, USA
- Singapore Society for Mass Spectrometry (SSMS), Singapore
Research Interests
- Lipid Biochemistry and Metabolism – To look at lipids of minor Physiological Abundance and to employ them as molecular markers to predict the early onset of cardio-‐vascular disease
- Vitamin-‐D Biochemistry – To study the effect of polymorphisms in different Vitamin-‐D associated genes and correlate them to the health of Omani Women
- Protein Chemistry – Identify proteins of therapeutic interest from animal venom
- Bioinformatics – Design in silico novel antimicrobial agents using animal antimicrobial proteins as templates . Study the structure function of protein implicated in the cholesterol metabolism disorders using homology modeling strategies
Clinical and Community Service
- Organized Health Run for Oman Society for Lipid and Atherosclerosis (OSLA)
- Lecture: Biochemistry is Fun at Orphanage school of Aditya Birla Centre for the Welfare of Children, Mumbai
- Lecture: What is Science and Who is a Scientist at Anand Kendra Orphanage of the Thelma JRD Tata Anand Kendra Trust, Mumbai
- Lecture:Biochemistry and Sherlock Holmes at Muscat International School, Muscat, Oman
- Lecture: Staying Fit in Old Age at Cardinal Gracias Destitute”s Home of the Missionaries of Charity, Mumbai
- Organized an Health Care Awareness program “We are also there” with Sanghamitra, a women’s collective
