Phone: (804) 827-2262
Email: vpresearch@vcu.edu
P. Srirama Rao, Ph.D
Vice president for research and innovation
Dr. Rao earned his Ph.D. in allergy and immunology in 1989 from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, after which he conducted post-doctoral studies at Pharmacia-Experimental Medicine in La Jolla, California. He has focused his research on the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation and has published nearly 90 peer reviewed manuscripts as well as several reviews and book chapters. Over the course of his 25-year academic and administrative career, Dr. Rao has been continuously funded by the NIH, multiple federal and state agencies, foundations and corporations, securing nearly $20 million in grant support.
Rao came to VCU in the fall of 2018 from the University of Minnesota, where he was professor and associate dean for research in the College of Veterinary Medicine with a joint appointment as professor in the School of Medicine. It was at the University of Minnesota where he founded the International Conference on One Medicine One Science (iCOMOS). Prior to his role at the UMN, Dr. Rao served as the vice president for research at the La Jolla Institute for Molecular Medicine in San Diego, where he also served as a professor and as the head of Vascular Biology.
In addition to his current position as the VPRI, Dr. Rao also holds a tenured appointment as professor of microbiology and immunology in the VCU School of Medicine. Dr. Rao holds multiple domestic and international patents, co-founded two companies, and is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.