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UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES


The Schools of Nursing and Pharmacy operate on both the Oxford and Jackson campuses. The Schools of Dentistry, Health Related Professionals and Medicine, and the Health Sciences Graduate School, are based in Jackson only. (Additional healthcare programs are available through the School of Applied Sciences on the Oxford campus.) Other than these exceptions, the schools above are on the Oxford campus.

Employee Profile

Premalatha Balachandran

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Nat'l Center for Natural Prod Research
Principal Scientist
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212E Thad Cochran Research Ctr West
University, MS 38677
(662) 915-3463
Joined UM: August 30, 2002

Areas of Expertise

  • ANTI-CANCER AGENTS
  • ANTICANCER DRUG DISCOVERY
  • ANTICANCER RESEARCH
  • BIOACTIVE NATURAL PRODUCTS
  • BIOCHEMISTRY
  • BIOLOGY
  • BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
  • BIOTECHNOLOGY
  • BOTANICAL DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
  • BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
  • CANCER, CHEMOPREVENTION
  • CANCER, DRUG DISCOVERY
  • CANCER, NEW DRUG TARGETS
  • CANCER, NEW MOLECULAR TARGETS
  • CELL BIOLOGY
  • CLINICAL STUDIES
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • HERBAL PRODUCTS
  • IMMUNOLOGY
  • MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, CANCER
  • MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, DRUG DISCOVERY
  • MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, DRUG TARGETS

Brief Bio

Dr. Premalatha "Prema" Balachandran joined Ole Miss, 20 years ago in 2002 and serve as a Principal Scientist at the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR), School of Pharmacy. As a Principal Scientist, Dr. Prema's research interests include biological screening and the discovery of new active drugs from the plants that contribute to human health benefits. She works on several funded projects and her research team filed a patent on an anticancer formulation. She has authored 40+ publications that include research and review articles in high-impact journals and book chapters. She is an executive board member for UM Staff Council and serves as a Staff Textbook Scholarship Manager. She is also a member of several Chancellor's Standing committees. She is very active in the community, serving on several boards and committees including United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Lafayette, School District PTOs, and Boy Scout committees to name a few. She also serves as a judge/chair for several international and regional science fair competitions and a reviewer for many journals. Her active role in the university and the community earned her several awards including Outstanding Staff Member award, Allgernon Sydney Sullivan Award for Community Service and Engagement and Women of Distinction recognition. Dr. Prema received a B.S in Chemistry from the University of Madras, Chennai, India. She also obtained M.S. and Ph.D. in Medical Biochemistry from the same university. In 2022, she graduated MBA from the University of Mississippi with an Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. She is married to Karthikeyan Rathinavelu, Owner and President of Thik and Thin Constructions LLC., They have 2 boys, Keerthin and Sagan.

Degrees

BS
Chemistry
University of Madras (1991)
MS
Biochemistry
University of Madras (1993)
PhD
Biochemistry
University of Madras (1999)

Committee Memberships

University Standing Committee
University Standing Committee

Awards

Staff Council Award - EEO2
2015