UHCOP Core Research Labs and Facilities Director Jandhyala Receives Faculty Appointment

August 21 — University of Houston College of Pharmacy Director of Core Research Labs and Facilities Dakshina (Moody) Jandhyala, Ph.D. ('03), has been appointed as research assistant professor in the college's Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Jandhyala will retain his staff position in the college's Office of Research. 

Jandhyala joined UHCOP in 2017 to serve as manager over Core Research Labs and Facilities, which included managing the use, training and maintenance of a variety of advanced analytical, imaging and other equipment at the college's home in the newly opened Health 2 building. In addition, Jandhyala oversaw the emergency, one-day relocation of laboratory equipment out of the college's Texas Medical Center building that was damaged in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Jandhyala was promoted to director in 2021, with an expansion of duties to include greater responsibilities in the planning, procurement and installation of new core equipment and the allocation of lab space. 

Jandhyala earned a bachelor's degree in biology at the University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from UH's College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Following his graduation from UH, Jandhyala joined the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences at Massey University in Palmeston North, New Zealand. Two years later, Jandhyala moved to the Boston area-based Tufts Medical Center's Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases, first as a research associate and later as an assistant professor. In 2013, Jandhyala joined the Tufts University School of Medicine as a research assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology.

Jandhyala's research has focused on identifying novel therapeutic targets to block inflammatory and apoptotic signaling with the goal of treating toxin-mediated diseases.

He has authored or coauthored 19 reviews, book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles in such publications as the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Cellular Microbiology, Infection and Immunity, Frontiers in Microbiology, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, and Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.