A role model for academic excellence.
Faraz Ahmad is a neuroscientist whose work focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease and tauopathies. He obtained his PhD from the University of Helsinki, completing his doctoral studies from April 2008 to August 2012. Subsequently, he served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, at the University of Otago from October 2019 to December 2021, contributing to research under Brain Research New Zealand. His investigations during this period delved into synaptic dysfunction, brain arginine metabolism, polyamine systems, and mitochondrial function in disease models.
At Otago, Ahmad co-authored several influential papers advancing the understanding of neurodegeneration. These include "Synaptosome as a tool in Alzheimer’s disease research" (Brain Research, 2020), which discusses the application of synaptosomes in studying Alzheimer's pathology; "Chemical Stimulation of Rodent and Human Cortical Synaptosomes: Implications in Neurodegeneration" (Cells, 2021), exploring stimulation protocols for synaptosomes; "Behavioural Functions and Cerebral Blood Flow in a P301S Tauopathy Mouse Model: A Time-Course Study" (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021), analyzing tauopathy progression; and "A Time-Efficient Fluorescence Spectroscopy-Based Assay for the Assessment of Synaptic Mitochondrial Function and Toxicity" (Biomolecules, 2021), introducing a novel assay for mitochondrial assessment. His research was supported by the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand (grant number 1835-PG) and the Department of Anatomy, University of Otago. These contributions have informed synaptic redox homeostasis and neuroprotective mechanisms. Following Otago, Ahmad became Associate Professor at Vellore Institute of Technology's School of Bio Sciences and Technology.
