Biography

Merina Varghese studies how the molecular and morphological features defining types, states, and microenvironment of cells drive regional vulnerability of neurons to aging and neuropsychiatric diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. Her approach combines deep expertise in disease biology with novel tools for spatial imaging of proteins and metabolites to discover potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Dr. Varghese joined URI in January 2025. Previously, she was an assistant professor in the Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and the Ronald M. Loeb Center for Alzheimer’s Disease at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she completed her postdoctoral training in the departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, investigating metabolic and synaptic changes underlying regional vulnerability to disease in transgenic rodent models of Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, and Phelan-McDermid syndrome. During her Ph.D. training in Jadavpur University, India, she studied the role of mitochondria in Parkinson’s disease using an in vitro model.