Vikash Morar

At Johns Hopkins, Vikash Morar is a Program Coordinator and lecturer for the MS in Biotechnology program.

Morar (he/him) comes from a background of myriad research experiences: in the biotech industry, in cellular neuroscience and machine learning academic labs, and in the pedagogical space. After working with biophotonics in murine models to study traumatic brain injury, Morar worked in a clinical diagnostics company to meet FDA requirements to bring a product to market. Following that, he worked in a machine learning lab to bridge the gap between artificial neural networks and networks of neurons within the brain. This interest in learning as an abstraction brought him towards pedagogy, where he has extensively trained and worked to improve student outcomes in the classroom. With publications from each of these experiences, Morar learned about the newest innovations in various scientific disciplines. In addition, having taken classes and internships in biotechnology since high school, he has encountered many facets of the industry.

Outside of the classroom and labs, Morar has also attended conferences in each of his roles. From company representative to research presenter to workshop participant at a teaching conference, he has seen the best of what conferences can offer aspiring professionals. Alongside his passion for evidence-based pedagogy, Morar is also committed to the mentorship of students. Through the UC San Diego Biomedical Engineering Society, Simply Neuroscience, and his classes, Morar committed to supporting students through mentorship separate from his teaching. This remains a focus of his and students are welcome to reach out to him even if they are not in one of his classes.

Morar completed both his BS and PhD at the University of California, San Diego. His PhD was in Bioengineering and his dissertation emphasized Computational Neuroscience and Learning Theory. His BS was in Biochemistry and Cell Biology with a minor in Mathematics.