Title: Biology Professor, Pre-Medical Advisor, Biotech Program Coordinator
Company: Albany State University
Location: Albany, Georgia
Dr. Ashok Jain, Biology Professor, Pre-Medical Advisor, and Biotech Program Coordinator at Albany State University, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in biomedical education and research.
In March 2021, Steve Wrigley, Chancellor, University System of Georgia, named Dr. Jain as USG Leadership Fellow, along with three other faculty from Albany State University (ASU). An accomplished medical educator, Dr. Jain has found success with ASU since 2005. He began as an associate professor, a position he held until 2009, and became a tenured professor in 2010. He served as a pre-medical advisor from 2006 to 2019, initiated the biotech program and served as biotech program coordinator since 2009. At ASU, Dr. Jain established breast cancer research, with the funding received from NIH and DoD. He studied the epigenetic aspect of food carcinogen, heterocyclic Amines (HCAs) formed during cooking meat at high temperature, and phytonutrients capable of inhibiting cytotoxic effects of HCAs. Results shows that presence of curcumin is extremely effective in impeding damages caused by HCAs to normal human breast cells. He has published and presented this research nationally and internationally. Prior to his work at Albany State University, he was a research scientist at Florida A&M University from 2003 to 2005, an associate in research at the same institution from 1997 to 2003, and a research associate at the University of Georgia in 1997. Dr. Jain began his career as a research associate at Texas A&M University in 1995 and he was the first one to bioengineer plants to enhance vitamin C (ascorbic acid) contents by expressing a gene from mouse. He as a senior research officer and program leader for the molecular biology division of the Central Sericulture Research and Training Institute in India he developed mulberry tissue culture research.
To prepare for his career as an educator, breeder and researcher, Dr. Jain attended Agra University, now Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University, and earned a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences in 1976. In 1978, he earned a Master of Science in plant science, and in 1983 he graduated from Agra University with a Doctor of Philosophy in genetics and plant breeding. Dr. Jain immigrated to the United States in 1993. For his accomplishments, he has been named Researcher of the Year at Albany State University in 2012 and 2017 and was additionally named Teacher of the Year by the university’s department of natural sciences in 2009. In 2008, the Albany State University College of Sciences and Health Professions named him Teacher of the Year. Dr. Jain has been a member of the American Association for Cancer Research since 2010 and was previously affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Council on Undergraduate Research, the International Grape Genome Consortium, and the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, among further professional associations.
At ASU, Dr. Jain currently focusing to develop student’s training in biomanufacturing area with the support from BioMADE (DoD funded) institute. Biomanufacturing is an emerging field to address the supply chain issue by bridging the gap of trained and skilled workers.
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