Niranjan Parajuli

Niranjan Parajuli (Nepali: निरञ्जन पराजुली) is a Nepali chemist, biochemist, and biotechnologist. He served as President of the Nepal Chemical Society from 2019 to 2021^[1][2] and was a Professor of Chemistry at the Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, from 2018 to 2025.^[3] Parajuli is an advocate for higher education reform in Nepal and has published numerous opinion pieces on the subject in national newspapers, academic journals, and social media outlets.^{[4][5][6][7][8]} He received the Distinguished Professor Award from the Biotechnology Society of Nepal.^[9] In 2025, he was listed among the World’s Top 2% Scientists in the Stanford University–Elsevier Global Database.^[10][11]

Niranjan Parajuli was born in August 1972 in Kathmandu, Nepal, to Govinda Prasad Parajuli and Durga Parajuli. He is married to Madhabi Bhatta, a journalist and former commissioner of Nepal’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, recognized for her work on transitional justice and human rights.^[12]

In a 2016 interview with the Nepali science magazine RevoScience, Parajuli stated that he believes in religion but identifies as secular. He noted that he does not lead any religious practice personally, explaining that there are aspects of existence that even science cannot fully explain.^[13]

Parajuli has been actively raising concerns about land compensation in Tinkune, Kathmandu. He is among the landowners who have not received compensation from the government of Nepal for land acquired for public use for nearly 50 years.^[14][15]

Parajuli earned a Bachelor of Science in physics, chemistry, and mathematics from Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, in 1994. He completed a Master of Science in chemistry at the Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, graduating with highest honors. In 2004, he received a PhD in biochemistry from the Department of Chemistry at Sun Moon University, South Korea, under the supervision of Professor Jae Kyung Sohng.^[16] His doctoral research focused on synthetic biology, molecular biology, and enzymology.

Parajuli began his academic career in March 1998 at the School of Science, Kathmandu University,^[17] was a lecturer in chemistry and was promoted to assistant professor in December 2004. At Kathmandu University, he taught undergraduate courses in organic chemistry and biochemistry. He pursued postdoctoral research in synthetic biology at the Department of Chemistry, Ewha Womans University,^[18] Seoul, South Korea, from September 2005 to June 2009, and subsequently became a research professor at the same institution in July 2009. From January 2010 to December 2011, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Chemistry at North Carolina State University,^[19] United States, where he worked on protein engineering and directed evolution of enzymes.^[20][21]

In 2012, Parajuli was appointed Head of the Department of Biotechnology at National College, Tribhuvan University, where he led research initiatives and academic programs in biotechnology. He used to teach organic chemistry, molecular biology, and genetic engineering to graduate students.^[22] He was appointed as a full professor in 2018 at the Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He led externally funded research projects and mentored master's and doctoral students. He supervised over 70 graduate students at Tribhuvan University, including five Ph.D. candidates.

He also served as an invited scientist (research professor) at Sun Moon University, South Korea, under the National Research Foundation of Korea^[23] from September 2023 to August 2024. Since March 2025, he has been working as a research scientist in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Bioengineering at North Carolina A&T State University, United States.

Parajuli is known for his work in microbial biotechnology, natural products, and computational chemistry. His research integrates synthetic biology,^[24] genome-guided metabolomics,^[25] protein engineering,^[20] and computational modeling to advance therapeutic discovery.^[26] Parajuli has reconstructed antibiotic biosynthetic pathways, elucidated auxiliary protein functions in macrolide glycosylation,^[27] and sequenced the genome of Streptomyces peucetius, enabling targeted engineering of clinically important antibiotics such as daunorubicin and doxorubicin.^[28] He has applied genome mining and metabolomics to discover novel secondary metabolites from actinomycetes^[29] and Himalayan medicinal plants, including compounds with antimicrobial, anticancer, and immunomodulatory activities, and developed strategies to activate cryptic biosynthetic pathways for previously inaccessible molecules.^[30]

In protein engineering, he has designed programmable biocatalysts, engineered glycosyltransferases, and amylosucrases,^[31] and developed high-throughput screening platforms to enable the scalable synthesis of glycosylated and non-natural drug analogues. His computational chemistry work has identified antiviral and metabolic targets, including SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors and pancreatic lipase modulators, supporting the in silico prioritization of over 90 antiviral candidates.^{[32][33][34][35][36]} Parajuli has also led projects on enzyme inhibitors from plant sources and, genetic characterization of actinomycetes. Between 2019 and 2024, he was among the top scientists in Nepal to receive major research grants at the national level from the University Grants Commission. He has authored more than 85 peer-reviewed publications, according to Google Scholar.

As from Google Scholar, Parajuli is credited as an (co)author for the following works:

1. Upadhyaya, S.R., Bashyal, J., Raut, B.K. et al. In silico study of therapeutic potential of natural polyphenol derivatives targeting pancreatic lipase. Discov. Chem. 2, 189 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44371-025-00266-0
2. Joshi, S.; Huo, C.; Budhathoki, R.; Gurung, A.; Bhattarai, S.; Sharma, K.R.; Kim, K.H.; Parajuli, N. HPLC-ESI-HRMS/MS-Based Metabolite Profiling and Bioactivity Assessment of Catharanthus roseus. Plants 2025, 14, 2395. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14152395
3. Bridget, A.F., Budhathoki, R., Huo, C. et al. Activation of cryptic biosynthetic pathways in Saccharopolyspora spinosa through deletion of the spinosyn gene cluster: induction of cryptic and bioactive natural products. Arch. Pharm. Res. 48, 514–527 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-025-01553-1
4. Zakaria, M.M., Upadhyaya, S.R., Parajuli, N. et al. In vitro and in silico study on glucosylation of caprylyl glycol. Biotechnol Bioproc E 30, 186–197 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-024-00163-w
5. Joshi, S.; Moody, A.; Budthapa, P.; Gurung, A.; Gautam, R.; Sanjel, P.; Gupta, A.; Aryal, S.P.; Parajuli, N.; Bhattarai, N. Advances in Natural-Product-Based Fluorescent Agents and Synthetic Analogues for Analytical and Biomedical Applications. Bioengineering (2024), 11, 1292. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11121292
6. Poudel, P.B.; Dhakal, D.; Magar, R.T.; Parajuli, N.; Sohng, J.K. Genome Mining and Genetic Manipulation Reveal New Isofuranonaphthoquinones in Nocardia Species. Int. J. Mol. Sci. (2024), 25, 8847. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25168847
7. Thapa, B.B.; Huo, C.; Budhathoki, R.; Chaudhary, P.; Joshi, S.; Poudel, P.B.; Magar, R.T.; Parajuli, N.; Kim, K.H.; Sohng, J.K. Metabolic Comparison and Molecular Networking of Antimicrobials in Streptomyces Species. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 4193. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084193
8. Dawadi, S.; Thapa, R.; Modi, B.; Bhandari, S.; Timilsina, A.P.; Yadav, R.P.; Aryal, B.; Gautam, S.; Sharma, P.; Thapa, B.B.; Aryal, N.; Aryal, S.; Regmi, B.P.; Parajuli, N. Technological advancements for the detection of antibiotics in food products. Processes (2021), 9, 1500. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9091500.
9. Adhikari, Bikash, Bishnu P. Marasini, Binod Rayamajhee, Bibek Raj Bhattarai, Ganesh Lamichhane, Karan Khadayat, Achyut Adhikari, Santosh Khanal, and Niranjan Parajuli. Potential roles of medicinal plants for the treatment of viral diseases focusing on COVID‐19: A review. Phytotherapy Research 35, no. 3 (2021): 1298–1312. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6893
10. Lamichhane, Ganesh, Ashis Acharya, Darbin Kumar Poudel, Babita Aryal, Narayan Gyawali, Purushottam Niraula, Sita Ram Phuyal, Prakriti Budhathoki, Ganesh Bk, and Niranjan Parajuli. Recent advances in bioethanol production from Lignocellulosic biomass. International Journal of Green Energy 18, no. 7 (2021): 731–744. https://doi.org/10.1080/15435075.2021.1880910
11. Marahatha, Rishab, Saroj Basnet, Bibek Raj Bhattarai, Prakriti Budhathoki, Babita Aryal, Bikash Adhikari, Ganesh Lamichhane, Darbin Kumar Poudel, and Niranjan Parajuli. Potential natural inhibitors of xanthine oxidase and HMG-CoA reductase in cholesterol regulation: in silico analysis. BMC complementary medicine and therapies 21, no. 1 (2021): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-020-03162-5
12. Dawadi, Sonika, Saurav Katuwal, Aakash Gupta, Uttam Lamichhane, Ranjita Thapa, Shankar Jaisi, Ganesh Lamichhane, Deval Prasad Bhattarai, and Niranjan Parajuli. Current research on silver nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, and applications. Journal of Nanomaterials 2021 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6687290
13. Aryal, Babita, Purushottam Niraula, Karan Khadayat, Bikash Adhikari, Dadhiram Khatri Chhetri, Basanta Kumar Sapkota, Bibek Raj Bhattarai, Niraj Aryal, and Niranjan Parajuli. Antidiabetic, Antimicrobial, and Molecular Profiling of Selected Medicinal Plants. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2021 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/5510099
14. Joshi, Bishnu, Sujogya Kumar Panda, Ramin Saleh Jouneghani, Maoxuan Liu, Niranjan Parajuli, Pieter Leyssen, Johan Neyts, and Walter Luyten. Antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anthelmintic activities of medicinal plants of Nepal selected based on ethnobotanical evidence. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2020 (2020).https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1043471
15. Awal, R.P., Garcia, R., Gemperlein, K., Wink, J., Kunwar, B., Parajuli, N., and Müller, R. (2017). Vitiosangium cumulatum gen. nov., sp. nov. and Vitiosangium subalbum sp. nov., soil myxobacteria, and emended descriptions of the genera Archangium and Angiococcus, and of the family Cystobacteraceae. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 67, 1422–1430.
16. Joshi, B., Hendrickx, S., Magar, L., Parajuli, N., Dorny, P., and Maes, L. (2016). In vitro Antileishmanial and Antimalarial Activity of Selected Plants of Nepal. J Intercult Ethnopharmacol 5, 383. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.001829
17. Parajuli, N., and Williams, G.J. (2011). A high-throughput screen for directed evolution of aminocoumarin amide synthetases. Analytical Biochemistry 419, 61–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2011.07.037
18. Park, J.W., Hong, J.S.J., Parajuli, N., Jung, W.S., Park, S.R., Lim, S.-K., Sohng, J.K., and Yoon, Y.J. (2008). Genetic dissection of the biosynthetic route to gentamicin A2 by heterologous expression of its minimal gene set. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105, 8399–8404. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0803164105
19. Park, J.W., Hong, J.S.J., Parajuli, N., Koh, H.S., Park, S.R., Lee, M.-O., Lim, S.-K., and Yoon, Y.J. (2007). Analytical Profiling of Biosynthetic Intermediates Involved in the Gentamicin Pathway of Micromonospora echinospora by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Using Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometric Detection. Anal. Chem. 79, 4860–4869. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac070028u
20. Parajuli, N., Basnet, D.B., Chung, Y.S., Lee, H.C., Liou, K., and Sohng, J.K. (2005). Biochemical characterization of a novel thermostable glucose-1-phosphate thymidylyltransferase from Thermuscaldophilus: Probing the molecular basis for its unusual thermostability. Enzyme and Microbial Technology 37, 402–409.
21. Bhandari, D. P., Poudel, D. K., Satyal, P., Khadayat, K., Dhami, S., Aryal, D., Chaudhary, P., Ghimire, A., & Parajuli, N. (2021). Volatile Compounds and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Selected Citrus Essential Oils Originated from Nepal. Molecules, 26(21), 6683. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216683
22. Adhikari, A., Bhattarai, B. R., Aryal, A., Thapa, N., Kc, P., Adhikari, A., Maharjan, S., Chanda, P. B., Regmi, B. P., & Parajuli, N. (2021). Reprogramming natural proteins using unnatural amino acids. RSC Advances, 11(60), 38126–38145. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1RA07028B
23. Lamichhane, G., Khadka, S., Acharya, A., & Parajuli, N. (2021). Pretreatment of finger millet straw (Eleusine coracana) for enzymatic hydrolysis towards bioethanol production. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-021-01633-4
24. Aryal, B., Adhikari, B., Aryal, N., Bhattarai, B. R., Khadayat, K., & Parajuli, N. (2021). LC-HRMS Profiling and Antidiabetic, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Activities of Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd. BioMed Research International, 2021, e7588711. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/7588711
25. Modi, B., Timilsina, H., Bhandari, S., Achhami, A., Pakka, S., Shrestha, P., Kandel, D., Gc, D. B., Khatri, S., Chhetri, P. M., & Parajuli, N. (2021). Current Trends of Food Analysis, Safety, and Packaging. International Journal of Food Science, 2021, e9924667. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9924667
26. Marahatha, R., Gyawali, K., Sharma, K., Gyawali, N., Tandan, P., Adhikari, A., Timilsina, G., Bhattarai, S., Lamichhane, G., Acharya, A., Pathak, I., Devkota, H. P., & Parajuli, N. (2021). Pharmacologic activities of phytosteroids in inflammatory diseases: Mechanism of action and therapeutic potentials. Phytotherapy Research, 35(9), 5103–5124. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.7138
27. Babita Aryal, Bimal Kumar Raut, Salyan Bhattarai, Sobika Bhandari, Parbati Tandan, Kabita Gyawali, Kabita Sharma, Deepa Ranabhat, Ranjita Thapa, Dipa Aryal, Atul Ojha, Hari Prasad Devkota, Niranjan Parajuli, "Potential Therapeutic Applications of Plant-Derived Alkaloids against Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Diseases", Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7299778
28. Bhattarai, B. R., Regmi, B. P., Gupta, A., Aryal, B., Adhikari, B., Paudel, M., & Parajuli, N. (2022). Importance of advanced analytical techniques and methods for food quality control and pollution analysis for more sustainable future in the least developed countries. Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, 27, 100692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2022.100692
29. Mandal, A.K., Katuwal, S., Tettey, F., Gupta, A., Bhattarai, S., Jaisi, S., Bhandari, D.P., Shah, A.K., Bhattarai, N. and Parajuli, N., 2022. Current research on zinc oxide nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, and biomedical applications. Nanomaterials, 12(17), p. 3066. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/17/3066