Dr. Rishi Sharma is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. His research focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms linking sleep disturbances to the pathogenesis and recovery of complex disorders including stroke, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use disorder (AUD). With over two decades of experience in pharmacology and neuroscience, Dr. Sharma has contributed significantly to the understanding of sleep’s role in neuropsychiatric and cerebrovascular conditions.
Dr. Sharma earned his Ph.D. in Life Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, following graduate training in pharmacology at Punjabi University. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in neurology at the University of Missouri, where he has since held progressive research appointments. His work has been supported by multiple intramural and extramural grants, including VA Merit Awards and NIH-funded projects investigating sleep, circadian biology, and substance use disorders.
A prolific author, Dr. Sharma has published extensively in high-impact journals such as Sleep, Journal of Neurochemistry, Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research, and Neuropharmacology. His studies have explored the role of nucleus accumbens circuitry, circadian gene regulation, and dopaminergic signaling in sleep and addiction. He has also served as an editorial board member and reviewer for numerous journals, including Nature Neuroscience, Cerebral Cortex, and Frontiers in Pharmacology.
Dr. Sharma is deeply committed to mentorship and has trained over 30 undergraduate and graduate researchers, many of whom have gone on to medical and scientific careers. His current research continues to bridge basic neuroscience with translational approaches aimed at improving recovery and rehabilitation in patients with stroke and neuropsychiatric disorders.