Professor Piruthivi Sukumar
- Position: Professor of Global Engagement and Education
- Areas of expertise: Global educational partnerships, Internationalisation, Globalization of medical and health education, Ion channels; Insulin resistance; ROS signalling; Obesity and metabolic syndrome.
- Email: P.Sukumar@leeds.ac.uk
- Location: 7.04 LIGHT
- Website: Twitter
Profile
I have studied the role of TRPC channels in metabolic diseases during my PhD with Prof David J Beech at Leeds (2006-10). I went on to study insulin resistance and ROS signalling in diabetes-induced vascular dysfunction during my postdoctoral work with Prof Mark Kearney in Medical School at Leeds (2010-12). Following that, I took up an Assistant Professor position at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, India. During my time at IIT, I continued to look at the role of ion channels in various components of metabolic syndrome (2013-16).
In autumn 2016, I took up University Academic Fellow position at LICAMM, School of Medicine, Leeds and continued my work on ion channels and cardiometabolic disorders. Our lab has identified that activation of mechanosensitive Piezo1 channels lead to insulin release from pancreatic beta cells. We have also identified a specific mutation which links to fatality in Covid-19 patients. I have been appointed as Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Medicine in December 2020 and subseuently moved to teaching and schoalrships stream.I am the Program Lead for the MSc program on Cardiovascular Health and Disease.
From March 2021,I have been serving as ProDean International for the Faculty of Medicine and Health. I also serve as the University’s lead for partenrships with Indian institutions.I am instrumental in building several partnerships for the internationalisation of the Faculty’s research and education. To achieve it, I traves extensively to actively engage with higher education institutions and industrial bodies across the world. I work closely with the University’s international office and UK Governmental bodies including UUKi, Department of Business and Trade, British Councill and UKRI-International. My interest and expertise are in the areas of international student recruitment and engagement, global research partnerships and bidding for funding and encouraging/engaging academics and supporting stafs of the HEIs in internationalisation. I have been appointed as Professor of Global Engagement and Educaiton in September 2024.
Responsibilities
- ProDean International, Faculty of Medicine and Health
- University Lead for India Partnerships
- Programme Lead, MSc Cardiovascular Health and Disease
Research interests
We are studying various calcium permeable ion channels including mechanosensitive channels in cardiovascular system and their role in both physiology and diseases process. Our aim is to elucidate pathophysiological underpinnings of metabolic diseases induced cardiovascular disorders. We use diverse models – from cells and transgenic models to human tissues and genomic data to achieve our goal.
Qualifications
- MBChB
- Masters in Medical Science and Technology
- PhD (Patho-physiology)
Professional memberships
- Physiological Society UK
- American Heart Association
- Indian Medical Association
Student education
I teach in various undergraduate and postgraduate modules in School of Medicine in MBChB and other programs. I am the Program Lead for the new MSc program on Cardiovascular Health and Disease.
Research groups and institutes
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine
- Discovery and Translational Science
- Cardiometabolic
- British Heart Foundation - Cardiovascular research
- Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Centre