Dr. Jawaid Ahsan

We use Drosophila melanogaster (vinegar fly or fruit fly) as model system to study the mechanism of olfaction, learning and memory. Our research involves studying the olfactory behaviour of flies using different behavioural paradigms, we train the flies and measure learning and memory, try to understand the mechanism at cellular and molecular level. We are also interested in neurotoxicology. We are trying to establish fruit fly as model system to study the effects of various heavy metals on development and nervous system, at various levels.

Completed doctorate under the joint supervisions of Prof. Obaid Siddiqi (FRS; Padma Vibhushan) at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), Bangalore and Prof. S. K. Jain (Head, Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi) in 2009, Worked as Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Bill S Hansson (Managing Director), Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (Jena, Germany) in collaboration with SLU, Sweden (January 2010 to August 2011); Received travel grants from European Commission (FENS, Vienna), EMBL (Heidelberg)/Marie Curie Actions, Freie Universität (Berlin), Julius-Maximilians-Universität (Würzburg), DBT to present research work as oral talks, posters and participation in different international conferences; Qualified CSIR (UGC) JRF/NET (twice), ICMR JRF (All India Rank 9) and GATE (Percentile 93.42, All India Rank 228); Published research work in Cell Reports, Frontiers of Neuroscience, DIS Journal, FENS Abstract, NCBS Annual Report etc.

• Publications :
  1. Anushree, Ali M.Z., and Ahsan J. (2023). Acute Exposure to Arsenic Affects Cognition in Drosophila melanogaster Larvae. Entomol Appl Sci Lett. 2022;9(4):70-8.
  2. Anushree, Ali M.Z. and Ahsan J. (2023). The effects of inorganic Arsenic dosage on Drosophila melanogaster third instar larvae motility. Indian J. Applied & Pure Bio. Vol. 38(2), 457-464.
  3. Ali M. Z., Anushree, and Ahsan J. (2023). Aversive olfactory conditioning with NaCl induces middle-term memory in Drosophila melanogaster larvae; Indian J. Applied & Pure Bio., 38(1), 200-205.
  4. Ali M.Z., Anushree, Bilgrami, A.L. and Ahsan J. (2022). Drosophila melanogaster Chemosensory Pathways as Potential Targets to Curb the Insect Menace. Insects, 13(2), 142.
  5. Rana V. K., Ahsan J., Sharma P. and Pandey C. (2021). Enhancement in the Production of Lignin Peroxidase through Physical and Chemical Mutation from A Bacterial Isolate. International Journal for Scientific Research & Development. Vol. 9, Issue 7, 156-162.
  6. Ahsan J., Knaden M., Strutz A., Sachse S. and Hansson B.S. (2017). Sense or Non-sense? Decision making in Drosophila melanogaster. Mechanisms of Development. 145:S115-S116.
  7. Ashraf G.M., Perveen A., Zaidi S.K., Tabrez S., Shakil S., Ahmad A., Haque R., Ahsan J., Kamal M.A. and Banu N. (2015). Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Tools for the Detection and Identification of Lectins in Major Human Diseases. Protein & Peptide Letters. 22(11):954-62.
  8. Sadaf N., Ahsan J., Ahmad S. and Haque R. (2015). Mitochondria: A Key Player in Stem Cell Fate. Cell Biology. Special Issue: Mitochondria: Implications in Human Health and Diseases. Vol. 3, No. 2-1, 2015, pp. 31-37. ISSN Print: 2330-0175, ISSN Online: 2330-0183
  9. Knaden M., Strutz A., Ahsan J., Sachse S. and Hansson B.S. (2012). Spatial Representation of Odorant Valence in an Insect Brain. Cell Reports 1, 1-8, April 19, 2012.
  10. Ahsan J., Jain S.K. and Siddiqi O. (2012). Behavioral characterization of P-element insertion lines of Drosophila melanogaster. Dros. Inf. Serv. Vol. 95 (2012)
  11. Ahsan J., Jain S.K. and Siddiqi O. (2008). Molecular localization of P elements in GAL-4 lines of Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila Information Service Journal (DIS Journal), Vol. 91 (2008)
  12. Ahsan, J. Siddiqi O. and Jain S. K. (2006). Olfactory conditioning in Drosophila melanogaster. FENS Abstr., vol.3, A127.2, 2006
• Patent:
• Book:
  1. Ali M. Z., Anushree, and Ahsan J. (2021). Schizophrenia: Neurochemical insight into a mind’s faulty dimension; Neurochemical Systems and Signaling; CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group).
  2. Anushree, Ali M.Z. and Ahsan J. (2021). Cholinergic neurotransmission system: Significance, signaling pathways and role in Parkinson’s disease; Neurochemical Systems and Signaling; CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group).
  3. Ahsan J., Ali M. Z. and Anushree (2021). Measurement of olfactory response of larvae of Drosophila melanogaster using larval plate assay. 459-464. In: Experiments with Drosophila for Biology Courses. 2021. (eds: S.C. Lakhotia & H.A. Ranganath). Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru, India.
  4. Anushree and Ahsan J. (2020). Arsenic Mediated Neurotoxicity. In: Arsenic Toxicity: Challenges and Solution. Publisher: Springer Nature. Editor Nitish Kumar.
  5. Ahsan J. (2020). Modern Tools and Techniques in Neuroscience; Research Methodology;  Chapter No. 30, Page No. 351-362; AkiNik Publications, New Delhi. Edited by Dr. P. Ponmurugan, Dr. J. Philip Robinson and Dr. S. Poornima.

• Awards:
1. Received Bharat Vikas Award - 2019 by INSTITUTE OF SELF RELIANCE, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
2. Got selected twice for Human Resource Development Group (HRDG), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-University Grants Commission (UGC) Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) & Eligibility for Lectureship-National Eligibility Test (NET) of Govt. of India through a National Level Test held on 22nd of June 2003 and 22nd of December 2002.
3. Qualified in Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE-2003) of Dept. of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), Govt. of India through a National Level Test held on 9th of February 2003 and organized by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras with a percentile of 93.42, All India Rank 228.
4. Selected for Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR, New Delhi) Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) of Govt. of India with All India Rank 9 (nine) through a National Level Test held on 7th of July 2002.
5. Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR, New Delhi, Govt. of India).
6. Received the fellowship of EMBL and MARIE CURIE ACTIONS to give an oral talk (among FOUR such speakers selected worldwide) about my research work at the 10th International EMBL PhD Student Symposium in Heidelberg, Germany, October 23-25, 2008.
7. Received grant by European Commission, Research Directorate General, Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses to participate in the first NEUROTRAIN (Neuroscience Training in Europe) program, Austria Center Vienna, Austria, July 7-12, 2006.
8. Received the financial assistance/travel grant by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India for attending the 5th Forum of European Neuroscience (FENS Forum 2006), Austria Center Vienna, Austria, July 8-12, 2006.
9. Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR, New Delhi) from October 2002 to September 2004.
10. Received the Tasmia Merit Scholarship during final year of Master degree in Biotechnology (2001-2002) at Hamdard University, New Delhi.
• Projects:
Received the research grant of INR 6 Lakhs under the UGC scheme “Start-Up-Grant for Newly Recruited Faculty” from the University Grant Commission (UGC), Government of India, for research project entitled “Role of Ionotropic receptors (IRs) in olfaction in Drosophila melanogaster.”

1. Working as Assistant Proctor at the Central University of South Bihar, Gaya.
2. Member Secretary of the Central University of South Bihar-Institutional Biosafety Committee (CUSB-IBSC).
3. Member of the University Website and Internet Committee of Central University of South Bihar, Gaya.
4. Past Member of the Editorial Team for University Newsletter of Central University of South Bihar, Gaya.
5. In the Editorial Board of the Journal 'SPER Journal of Advances in Toxicological Science'.
6. In the Editorial Board of "Research and Reviews: A Journal of Neuroscience (RRJoNS)" of STM Journals.
7. In the Editorial Board of International Journal ‘Frontiers in Neuroscience’.
8. In the Editorial Board of 'Evolutionary Psychology and Neuroscience', a specialty of the journal 'Frontiers in Neuroscience and Psychology'.
9. Member of Society for Neuroscience (SFN)
10. Member of Molecular and Cellular Cognition Society (MCCS)