Sameer Bajikar, PhD, Joins Cancer Center Research Faculty

The Cancer Center welcomes Assistant Professor of Cell Biology Sameer Bajikar, PhD, to its Cancer Biology Program.

Dr. Bajikar’s research interests include the TGFb growth factor GDF11 and its role as a tumor suppressor in triple-negative breast cancers, understanding how the loss of one copy of GDF11 leads to tumor formation, and studying mechanisms by which a 50 percent decrease in certain growth factors can lead or contribute to tumorigenesis. Dr. Bajikar also focuses on utilizing systems biology approaches to study gene dosage, specifically how altered performance in dosage-sensitive “Goldilocks” genes contributes to brain development and function in neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Dr. Bajikar is a double Hoo! He earned both his BS and PhD in biomedical/medical engineering at UVA. As a PhD student under the mentorship of Professor of Biomedical Engineering Kevin Janes, PhD, Dr. Bajikar studied experimental and computational tools to understand cell-to-cell variation in cancer. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in molecular and human genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine before returning to UVA as an Assistant Professor.

Dr. Bajikar returns to Charlottesville with his wife and two kids. They love exploring Charlottesville – including UVA sporting events, the farmer’s market, and the Blue Ridge mountains!

9-16-24