Department of Biodiversity and Bioresources
Head of Department
Krishna Pokharel, PhD
Dr. Pokharel completed MSc in Forestry from University of Freiburg, Germany. After gaining a PhD in wildlife ecology in 2015, he continued his career as a postdoctoral scientist in the same university till 2017. Before leaving for Germany in 2008, he was a biology student [MSc Zoology and BSc Biology] of Tribhuvan University in Nepal. His research interest includes:
- Species – habitat relationship
- Prey-predator relationship
- Urban biodiversity
- Animal behavior
Visiting Scientist
Amrit Poudel, PhD
Amrit Poudel completed Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science (B. Pharm.) and Masters of Pharmaceutical Science (M. Pharm.) (Natural Product Chemistry) from Pokhara University, Nepal. He earned PhD in Oriental Pharmacy from Wonkwang University, South Korea. His research interest are
- Isolation and identification of bioactive natural compounds
- Standardization of herbs and herbal formulations
- Conservation of herbs in Nepal and development of herbal museum
- Development of extract bank
- Climate change and their impact on herbs
- Functional food
- Holistic approach of life and mindfulness
Visiting Scientist
Hari Prasad Devkota, PhD
Dr. Devkota is a registered pharmacist (Nepal Pharmacy Council) and Natural Product Chemistry. Dr. Devkota completed Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences (B. Pharm.) from Pokhara University, Nepal in 2005. After working in same institute as Teaching Associate, he entered in graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University in 2007 and completed Master and PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2010 and 2013 respectively. Dr. Devkota was a Takeda Science Foundation PostDoc Fellow for one year (2013-2014) at School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University.
Research Interest
For detail visit Dr. Devkota's personal blog: http://bnpff.weebly.com/
Senior Scientist
Sujan Sigdel, PhD
Dr. Sujan Sigdel completed Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science (B. Pharm.) from Pokhara University. He earned Master of Science in Bioinformatics from University of Bonn, Bonn Germany. He completed PhD in Biomolecular Engineering from Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea. His research interest are:
- Enzyme catalysis and protein engineering
- Homology modeling and drug designing
- Organic synthesis of compounds and phytochemical screening of medicinal plants.
Senior Scientist
Sushil Bhandari, PhD
Dr. Bhandari completed Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science (B. Pharm) from Pokhara University and worked as a Research and Development officer in Quest Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, a WHO-GMP certified company in Nepal from 2008- 2011 A.D. He is also a registered pharmacist (Nepal Pharmacy Council) of Nepal. He completed Master and PhD in Medicine (Major: Pharmacology and Molecular Genetics) from Wonkwang University, South Korea and continued his career as a postdoctoral researcher in Kyung Hee University, South Korea till 2019. His research interest are:
- Screening bioactive compounds from medicinal plants, fruits and seed extract using zebrafish for toxicity testing and new drug discovery.
- Toxicity assessment of compounds secreted by animals and their therapeutic potential.
- Generating Zebrafish models of human disease and identifying causes and mechanism of disease progression.
- Application of zebrafish embryos in cosmetics.
Research Scientist
Shila Gurung, M. Pharm. (Natural Product Chemistry)
Ms. Shila Gurung completed Bachelor of Pharmacy and Masters of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Natural Products Chemistry) from Pokhara University, Nepal. Her research interest includes:
- Medicinal herbs and their ethnomedicinal value
- Natural products used for cosmetic
- Extraction, Isolation and identification of bioactive compounds
Research Assistant
Ashma Bhattarai, B. Pharm.
Ms. Ashma Bhattarai completed Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences (B. Pharm.) from Pokhara University, Nepal. Her research interest includes:
- Medicinal herbs and their ethnomedicinal value
- Natural products used for cosmetic
- Extraction, Isolation and identification of bioactive compounds
Manish Kunwar
Diploma in Pharmacy, CTEVT, Nepal
Research Interest:
- Natual Product Chemistry
- Herbarium Preparation of medicinal plants
- Collection and identifiation of medicinal plants of Nepal