Narayan Pokhrel, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
npokhrel@ucsd.edu
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Narayan is passionate about understanding the neurobiology of drug addiction. He completed his master’s degree and doctoral degree in development biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel. His research focused on revealing the molecular mechanisms involved in the developmental arrest of early-stage embryos at low temperature, in a phenomenon known as diapause. Diapause is a unique survival mechanism of avian embryos during unpredicted environmental conditions. He found that the survival mechanisms of avian embryos at low temperature involve cell cycle arrest, maintaining cell viability and retaining their pluripotency state.
Narayan is enthusiastic about working with Dr. Francesca Telese as a postdoc, aiming to identify regulatory networks underlying phenotypes associated with vulnerability to distinct stages along the opioid use disorder (OUD) trajectory. He studies the effects of substances on human health and diseases using a laboratory model during addiction phase, withdrawal period and relapsing period.
Aside from science, Narayan loves spending time with family members and traveling to new places to admire the complexity of nature and learn about different cultures.
