Biju Viswanath, Ph.D.

Dr. Biju Viswanath is an Associate Professor at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in India. Dr. Viswanath’s primary area of research includes understanding the molecular basis of etiology and treatment response in neuropsychiatric disorders. His training as a physician specializing in psychiatry and as a basic researcher in human stem cells enables me with a unique skill set to develop and execute translational psychiatry research. He’s currently funded to examine genetic and cellular correlates of lithium response in bipolar disorder. He is also a key investigator in the Accelerator program for Discovery in Brain disorders using Stem cells (ADBS) program (https://ncbs.res.in/adbs/home) funded by Department of Biotechnology which aims to build a biorepository of human induced pluripotent stem cells for serious mental illnesses in India. The proposed study is in line with his interests in the genetic basis of bipolar disorder. He has established a network of investigators in India (https://www.med.unc.edu/pgc/about-us/people/pgc-ic-magic/) which has the capability to become an important contributor in the field of psychiatric genetics.