Dr. Rajashekhar Gangaraju is a tenured Associate Professor at the Hamilton Eye Institute, University of Tennessee Health Science Center. With over three decades of preclinical research experience, his work integrates ocular pharmacology, biologics, and regenerative medicine, with a focus on neurovascular dysfunction in retinal and central nervous system disorders, including diabetic retinopathy and traumatic brain injury. His research is supported by the National Eye Institute, the Department of Defense, and industry partnerships.

Dr. Gangaraju is Co-founder of Cell-Care Therapeutics, a California-based biotechnology company advancing regenerative medicine, and serves as Scientific Advisor to Diadem Bio Therapeutics, which develops engineered small extracellular vesicle (sEV)-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. He is deeply engaged in mentorship, peer review, and fostering translational collaborations across academia and industry.

He serves as Associate Editor for Stem Cell Research & Therapy (Springer Nature) and Frontiers in Pharmacology, and as an Editorial Board Member of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, the official journal of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. An active member of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (AOPT) since 2017, Dr. Gangaraju has contributed to its scientific and training mission and currently serves as a Trustee of the AOPT Board (since 2023). He has been nominated as a Fellow of AOPT (FAOPT, Class of 2025).