Avinash Srivastava, Ph.D.

626-526-4673
Avinash Srivastava, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Professor
Academic Appointments
  • Assistant Research Professor, Department of Diabetes Complications & Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute
Avinash Srivastava, Ph.D., started his academic career in 1990 and did his master's degree and Ph.D. in biological sciences from prestigious academic organizations in India.
 
Soon after his Ph.D., Dr. Srivastava joined Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Jammu, India, as an assistant professor of biochemistry and plant physiology. During this period, he taught, developed and coordinated freshman undergraduate and senior-level graduated courses, authored lab manuals for freshman and senior labs, and conducted experiments for various National and International research projects. He moved to the United States for advanced studies in 2004, and until now, he has worked with many research organizations including, the University of North Texas, Denton, TX, Noble Research Institute, Ardmore, Oklahoma, and University of California Los Angeles before joining City of Hope.
 
Dr. Srivastava has multidimensional research experience in biological sciences, including molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, functional genomics and metabolic engineering. He has worked with fungi, bacteria, plants, yeast and the mammalian system. Currently, he is working as an assistant research professor with Arthur D. Riggs, Ph.D., the Samuel Rahbar Chair in Diabetes & Drug Discovery, Department of Diabetes Complications & Metabolism at City of Hope. His current project focuses on understanding the regulatory mechanism of small molecules that governs fundamental biochemical and developmental patterns in the biological system. He is trying to identify regulatory factors including, key metabolites that bring important epigenetic changes in a mammalian system to prevent metabolic disorders and gain therapeutic benefits.

Location

Education & Experience

Degrees

  • 1999, Ph.D., Biological Sciences, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
  • 1993, M.Sc., Biological Sciences, GB Pant University of Agricultural Sciences, India
  • 1991, B. Sc., Biological Science, Kanpur University, India

Fellowship

  • 2008-2013, Postdoctoral Research fellow in Molecular Biology and Cell biology, Department of Plant Biology, Noble Research Institute, Ardmore, OK
  • 2004-2008, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Department of Biology, University of North Texas, Denton, TX

Professional Experience

  • 2016-present, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Diabetes Complications & Metabolism, Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute, Duarte, CA
  • 2013-2016, Project Manager, Chemical and Bioengineering Department, UCLA, CA
  • 2001-2006, Assistant professor, Division of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, SKUAST- Jammu, India
  • 1998-2001, Research Associate, Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India

Research

Lab Members

Dr. Srivastava is interested in understanding the controlling mechanism of important metabolites to various developmental and differentiation processes. One of his prime interests is to study the interaction between one-carbon metabolism and epigenetics and its implications on cellular programming.
 
Through his research, he underscores the essential role of folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) in one-carbon transfer reactions (C1 metabolism) that lead to the biosynthesis of compounds required for metabolically active cells. He discovered that the plastidial isoform of FPGS is required for postembryonic root development in Arabidopsis. In addition to this, he also provided genetic and biochemical support for the importance of folylpolyglutamates in the lignocellulosic pathway and showed that downregulating a single FPGS isoform leads to reduced lignin in plants. He further demonstrated that the elimination of human FPGS alters the programming and plasticity of somatic cells. Currently, he is working to develop an inexpensive procedure for transgene-free reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells, which have great therapeutic potential.

Awards & Memberships

Awards

  • Travel grant awarded by National Science Foundation to attend the 24th International Arabidopsis Conference at Sydney on June 24-28, 2013

  • Travel grant awarded by American Society of Plant Biology for attending annual American society plant biology meeting at Minneapolis, MN, August 4-10, 2011

  • Registration awards recipients for the 2011 International Conference on Arabidopsis Research

  • Young Scientist award by Department of Science & Technology, Government of India