Rate My Professor Vimal Selvaraj

Vimal Selvaraj is Professor of Integrative Physiology in the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His academic training includes a veterinary degree (B.V.Sc.), a Master of Science in immunology, and a Ph.D. in reproductive biology from Cornell University in 2007. Selvaraj joined Cornell as faculty, serving as assistant professor in 2014, associate professor by 2021, and advancing to full professor. He teaches the introductory undergraduate course Domestic Animal Biology (BIOAP 1100) and leads the Selvaraj Laboratory of Integrative Physiology.

Selvaraj’s research focuses on molecular medicine, systems biology, and reproductive technologies, with specializations in steroid hormone biosynthesis, mitochondrial cholesterol homeostasis, pluripotent stem cells, neurosteroidogenesis, and livestock preservation. His lab demonstrated that translocator protein (TSPO) is not required for steroidogenesis through global and conditional knockout studies in mice, challenging textbook dogma, as published in Journal of Biological Chemistry (2014, 282 citations) and Endocrinology (2014, 280 citations). Other key contributions include efficient induction of bovine pluripotent stem cells for gene banking (Biology Open, 2021), sustainable housefly larvae production for feed (PLoS One, 2017, 216 citations), and mapping neurosteroid pathways (PNAS, 2025). His work has garnered over 3,900 citations, influencing endocrinology, reproductive biology, and animal biotechnology. Selvaraj received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2017 and the Professor of Merit award from the graduating senior class in 2014.