Lakshmi Devi received her PhD from the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada and postdoctoral training at the Vollum Institute, Portland, Oregon, and Addiction Research Foundation, Palo Alto, California. She joined the faculty of Pharmacology at the New York University and in 2002 joined the Mount Sinai School of Medicine as a Professor of Pharmacology and Biological Sciences. She is currently a Professor of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Neuroscience and Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Dr. Devi’s research interests include; (i) molecular mechanisms of G protein-coupled receptor signaling in disease and (ii) discovery of novel neuropeptides and their receptors. She has authored more than 170 scientific research articles and reviews. Dr. Devi has won many honors and awards including the National Institute of Drug Abuse Senior Scientist and Mentoring Award, and the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Basic Research, NIH MERIT award and has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Dr. Devi serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Enhancement and Mentoring at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She has mentored more than 70 trainees including medical students, graduate students, postdoctoral research associates, and visiting scientists. Dr. Devi is also widely praised for her role in organizing symposia in national and international conferences. She served as the President of the International Narcotics Research Conference (2006-2010) and currently serves as the Treasurer/Secretary of the Neuropharmacology division of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (2013-2015).
