In an effort to improve research collaborations between the U.S. and India, and facilitate exchange programs a task force has been established comprising of researchers from the University of Missouri (MU) and India.
The university’s task force is part of the greater vision of the Association of American Universities which was announced earlier in 2023, in conjunction with the White House’s launch of the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies.
Collaborators across MU including scientists in agriculture, telecommunications, artificial intelligence and materials, chemistry and medicine are collaborating with a team in India, the release noted.
Commenting on the initiative, provost Latha Ramchand said, This task force was formed to make recommendations to the President that would strengthen MU’s research partnerships with faculty at institutions in India, increase MU enrollment of students from India and facilitate exchange programs that would enhance programmatic opportunities for faculty and students from both countries.”
“Our mission is to bring scientists driving innovation in their fields together to spearhead solutions to some of the world’s foremost problems and to recruit talented students to our institution,” she added.
Rajiv Mohan, professor of ophthalmology and molecular medicine in MU’s School of Medicine and College of Veterinary Medicine, was selected as the leader of the provost’s task force.
As part of the task force, medical students and researchers from India will join Mohan in his lab to learn about an eye drop developed by him that can be applied in less-than-sterile circumstances. The drops use a nanoparticle or virus vector to deliver therapeutic genes that reverses fibrosis – the process of the cornea becoming opaque – and help to restore a person’s vision over time.
“This outreach effort is intended to help expose prospective international students to the enormous possibilities we have here in terms of furthering both their education and research pursuits. I’m thrilled to be part of this task force. I think a part of this journey is my destiny, and I’m excited for our future contributions to global medicine and well-being,” Mohan said.
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