Principal Investigator

Professor Vashishth is a member of the RPI Leadership Team and directs institute-wide research centers designed to break down traditional disciplinary boundaries and promote interdisciplinary research and education at the interface of science and engineering, focusing on biotechnology, biomanufacturing, and medicine. As Director of CBIS and Co-Director of the CEPM, he has successfully developed partnerships, programs and platforms, to drive translational scientific research across disciplines, sectors, and geographic boundaries. In particular, he expanded partnerships with medical schools and biopharmaceuticals to address global healthcare challenges in Alzheimer’s, Cancer, Diabetes, Precision and Regenerative Medicine, and COVID-19. He envisioned and facilitated the creation of the Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine - a unique ecosystem where cutting-edge research, startups, and a PhD program focused on entrepreneurship coexist and thrive.

Dr. Vashishth's research has made significant contributions to the field, with his work being cited as “Making Old Bones New,” “New Hope for Osteoporosis Patients,” and “Proving a Link between Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and Osteoporosis” in the mainstream media. He is currently leading a Women’s Health Initiative focussed on reducing the risk for chronic diseases through better management of the menopausal transition. Dr. Vashishth served as the Department Head of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer and oversaw a 10-fold increase in its research expenditures and a doubling of the graduate program in over three years. Over the last two decades, he has generated over $32 Million in research funding and has been continuously funded by the NIH, other federal agencies, and foundations.

Dr. Vashishth is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers (AIMBE), the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). He serves as the ASBMR US Bone and Joint Ambassador for advocacy at Capitol Hill on Women’s Health.