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Vector Borne Diseases

Biography

Dr. Ashwani Kumar, currently serving as the Pro Vice-Chancellor at SIMATS, holds a Master's degree in Entomology and a Ph.D. in Zoology, specializing in Entomology. His professional journey commenced as a Scientist B at the Malaria Research Centre (Indian Council of Medical Research), Field Unit, Orissa, and Goa, India. Over the years, he has held esteemed positions within the Indian Council of Medical Research, culminating in his role as the Director at ICMR-Vector Control Research Centre, Puducherry, India, upon retirement. He has served as an expert member and advisor for various organizations, including the World Health Organization, both nationally and internationally. In recognition of his contributions, he has received several prestigious awards, including the 'Bharat Gaurav' Award from the Indian National Sciences Academy (INSA) and the Royal Society of the UK Bilateral Exchange Fellowship Award. He has also been honored with the Senior Fellowship (P-4) Award by the German Research Centre for Biotechnology, among others. Dr. Ashwani Kumar has now assumed the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Collaborations) at SIMATS. His primary research areas encompass the surveillance of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and Japanese Encephalitis. Additionally, his expertise extends to Vector Biology and Control, Malaria Control Field Trials, Malaria Epidemiology, and Malaria Burden Estimation studies. He boasts an impressive scholarly record, with over 200 publications, 4 books published, and 4 Indian Patents to his credit. His research impact is reflected in his H-index of 32, i10 index of 55, and a noteworthy citation count of 3274.

Education

  • B.Sc. (Hons.) 1981. Punjab University - 1st Position & Gold Medal

  • M.Sc. (Hons.) 1983. Zoology -specialization Entomology -1st class with Distinction

  • Ph.D. 1987. Zoology-specialization: Entomology

  • Fellow: INSA-Royal Society Exchange Programme

  • Fellow: Punjab Academy of Sciences

Key research areas

  • Surveillance of Vector Borne Diseases viz., malaria (primarily), dengue, chikungunya and Japanese Encephalitis, Vector Biology and Control, Malaria Control Field Trials, Malaria Epidemiology and Malaria Burden Estimation studies

Recent Publications

  1. Elango A., Shriram AN., Raju KHK and Ashwani Kumar. 2024. Study on the ticks species diversity (Acari: Ixodidae) on domestic ruminants in different agro-climatics regions of Tamil Nadu. Trop. Animal Health and Production. 56:73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-024-03912-4

  2. Balasubramaniyan R., Venkatesan V., Abraham PR., Adinarayanan S., Swaminathan S. Raju, KHK., Hoti SL. and Ashwani Kumar. 2024. Detection of Wuchereria bancrofti DNA in wild caught vector and non-vector mosquitoes: implications for elimination of lymphatic filariasis. Molecular Biology Report. 51:291. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-024-09256-4

  3. Subramanian S., Maheshwari R. U., Prabhavati G., Khan M. A., Brindha B., Srividya A.,Ashwani Kumar, Manju Rahi, Nightingale E., Medley G. F., Cameron M., Roy N. and Jambulingam P. 2024. Modelling spatiotemporal patterns of visceral leishmaniasis incidence in toe endemic states in India using environment, 1.     bioclimatic and demographic data, 2013-2022. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0011946

  4. Veerapathiram, A., Krishnamoorthy N., Elango A., Balaji Thiruppathi, Ashwani Kumar and Rajaiah P., 2024. Distribution of tick species parasitizing livestocks in Sirumalai, the eastern ghats of Tamil Nadu, South India and its implications for public health. Acroloigical Studies. Vol. 6: 1-8.

  5. Murali Aarthy, G. Navaneetha P. Paramasivan, R. Ashwani Kumar and Bhavna Gupta. 2024. Identification and prioritisation of potential vaccine candidates using subtractive proteomics and designing of a multi-epitope vaccine against Wuchereria bancrofti. Scientific Reports. 2024:14-1970 http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52457-x

  6. Luzia T. Frietas, Mashroor Ahmad Khan, Azhar Uddin, Julia B. Halder, Sauman Singh-Phulgenda, Jeypal Dinesh Raja, Vijayakumar Balakrishnan, Eli Harriss, manju Rahi, Mathew Brack, Philippe J. Guerin,Maria-Gloria Basanez, Ashwani Kumar, Martin Walker and Adinarayanan Srividya. 2024. The lymphatic filariasis treatment landscape: A systematic review of study characteristics and the case for an individual participant data platform. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases http://doi.org/10.371/journal.pntd.0011882

  7. Gnanasekar Ragini, Hari Kishan Raju, Ranganathan Krishnamoorthi, Ayyanar Elango, Subramanian Muthukumaravel and Ashwani Kumar. 2024. The Molecular Detection of Bacterial Infections of Public Health Importance in Hard Tick (Ixodidae) Nymphs Collected from the Forest Fringes of Western Ghats in the Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra States of India. Microorganisms. 12, 52. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12010052

  8. Anns Tom, N. Pradeep Kumar, Ashwani Kumar, Prasanta Saini. 2024. Interactions between Leishmania parasite and sandfly: a review. Parasitology Research. 123:6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-023-08043-7

  9. Govindrajan R. Krishnamoorthi R, Venkatesh A. Ashwani Kumar and Philip Samuel P. 2023. Current Status of ticks (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) in India. Halteres. 14: 21-29

  10. Ashwani Kumar, Puspendra Pal Singh, Suchi Tyagi, K. Hari Kishan Raju, Sudhanshu S. Sahu and Manju Rahi. 2023. Vivax malaria: a possible stumbling block for malaria elimination in India. Frontiers in Public Health. Vol. 11: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1228217.