Dr. Kandasamy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at California State University, East Bay, where he has been a faculty member since 2019 and was awarded early tenure and promotion in 2024. At Cal State East Bay, Dr. Kandasamy teaches courses including Physiological Psychology (PSYC 320), Experimental Psychology (PSYC 300), Drugs and Behavior (PSYC 420), and Research in Physiological Psychology (PSYC 491B), and serves as a major advisor. Dr. Kandasamy currently leads two active research projects both funded by the National Institutes of Health focused on developing non-opioid treatments for chronic pain, including the evaluation of multitarget enzyme inhibitors for orofacial and inflammatory pain. His research integrates behavioral neuroscience, pharmacology, and translational pain models and actively involves undergraduate students at every stage. Many of his trainees have published, received national recognition, and presented their work at professional conferences.

Dr. Kandasamy has published extensively with his students and co-authored book chapters on pain mechanisms, measurement, and therapies. He has served on multiple national review panels and professional committees, including executive roles within the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), the North American Pain School, and as a member of the Faculty Consensus Group of CSUBIOTECH, where he contributes to system-wide efforts supporting biotechnology research and education across the CSU.

Dr. Kandasamy served as the Faculty Fellow for the Center for Student Research from 2022-2025 and served as its Interim Director in Summer 2023. He is currently the Principal Investigator of the university’s Beckman Scholars Program, funded by the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation. His leadership is rooted in undergraduate research, with a strong emphasis on mentorship and student development.

Dr. Kandasamy earned his B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology, magna cum laude, from Washington State University in Pullman, WA, where he studied sex differences in cannabinoid analgesia with Dr. Rebecca Craft. He completed his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Washington State University in Vancouver, WA, under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Morgan, pioneering a novel behavioral measure of pain and analgesia using wheel running in rodents. He later trained as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Michigan Medical School with Dr. John Traynor, where he examined the analgesic and abuse-related properties of opioid drugs.

Hi! I have been in Dr. Kandasamy’s lab for over 2 years. I came to Dr. Kandasamy’s lab with no research experience. The whole team was very welcoming and helped get me up to speed on how to work in a lab. I found his lab very interesting because we focus on finding a new drug for pain. I find this work so important since I work as a registered nurse and I see patients suffer from pain all of the time. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy getting outside and being active.

Hi, my name is Gabrielle Gorostiza. I’m currently a post-baccalaureate student for pre-medical studies. Desiring to involve myself in research that would impact people’s health, I joined Kandasamy Lab in January 2024. I think the pain research we do is extremely relevant, considering the current need for more effective ways to treat pain. In the future, I hope to continue working in research as a physician-scientist. When I’m not in the lab, you’ll find me reading, spending time with friends, baking, or taking hikes with my dogs. 

Hi! I'm Madison and I'm a 3rd year Biological Sciences major concentrating in Microbiology and Biomedical Lab Sciences. I first became interested in the lab because of our work on drug discovery. I joined as a freshman and it's been an amazing learning experience so far! The team is very supportive and I learned a lot about how research is conducted. After graduation, I hope to work in the healthcare field or go into graduate school. Outside of research, I like reading, gaming, and spending time with friends and family.

Hi, my name is Edith Morales, and I’m a third-year Biological Sciences major with a concentration in Microbiology and Biomedical Lab Sciences. As a pre-health student, I’m passionate about research and innovation, which led me to join Dr. Kandasamy’s lab. Our work focuses on discovering new drugs to treat pain, which resonates deeply with me as I come from a community where substance abuse and mental health challenges are widespread. I’m grateful to be part of such a welcoming and supportive team, and I find it rewarding to contribute to research that is driving progress in pain treatment and public health. Outside the lab, I enjoy hiking, crocheting, and watching movies.

Hi, I’m Lu Pavana! I joined the lab in Fall 2023 to get a sense of what working in research would be like. Since then, I’ve found a passion for it, as well as the lab setting in general. Outside of the lab, I enjoy drawing, spending time with friends, and watching too much TV.

It’s a pleasure meeting you. My name’s Adim, and I’ve been in the lab since August 2024. I am a Biology major with a concentration in Microbiology. I am part of the class of ‘28 and am already in my second year. If I’m being completely honest, before I joined the lab I had no idea universities even conducted research. I joined this lab to get an idea of how research worked and what it was like to be part of making scientific discoveries. It’s also in a very interesting field: a mix of psychology and chemistry, all while the tests are being performed on rat subjects. The conferences I’ve been to and the posters I’ve presented have all exposed me to the world of science and make me really feel like a scientist. In my free time I love playing the guitar, listening to metal, biking, and skateboarding (although I’m not very good at it).

Hi! My name is Jo, and I’m a Biological Sciences major with a Microbiology and Biomedical Lab Sciences Concentration, currently in my senior year at CSUEB. I’m now entering my second year in Dr. Ram Kandasamy's lab, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such talented colleagues and contribute to exciting discoveries. Our research is especially meaningful to me because pain and anxiety affect so many people, and our goal is to explore safer, alternative methods to help alleviate these challenges. Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing video games and watching movies.