Badhwar Amanpreet
Contact information
amanpreet.badhwar@criugm.qc.ca
Biography
Dr. AmanPreet Badhwar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the Université de Montréal, as well as an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University. She is a principal investigator and laboratory director at the Research Centre of the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), where she leads research within the Aging Neuroscience axis.
She holds a PhD in Neuroscience and an MSc in Human Genetics from McGill University and completed two postdoctoral fellowships at the CRIUGM, specializing in neuroimaging and neurodegeneration. Her multidisciplinary research integrates neuroscience, vascular biology, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, and omics-based approaches.
Over the past decade, Dr. Badhwar obtained fundings as principal investigator or co-investigator from prestigious agencies including CIHR, FRQS, the Alzheimer Society of Canada, Brain Canada, and others. She is also co-lead of the VAST (Vascular Training Platform), a national CIHR-funded initiative aimed at training and patient engagement in vascular cognitive impairment research.
Dr. Badhwar is highly committed to knowledge translation and public outreach, leading multiple international collaborations and educational initiatives such as co-developing video series for patients and caregivers. She has supervised students and trainees across all levels, both nationally and internationally.
Research interests
Dr. Badhwar’s research seeks to understand the complex interplay of vascular, metabolic, genetic, and environmental factors that contribute to brain aging and dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and vascular cognitive impairment. She employs advanced techniques in neuroimaging (7T MRI, functional connectivity), bioinformatics, machine learning, and extracellular vesicle biology to identify early, predictive, and subtype-specific biomarkers of dementia.
Her current projects focus on:
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blood- and protein-based biomarkers of MRI-detected cerebrovascular injury;
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the impact of biological sex, gender, and menopause on cognitive aging and neurodegeneration;
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co-developing educational tools for individuals living with cognitive decline and their caregivers;
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improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in aging and brain health research cohorts.
Keywords : neurodegeneration, brain imaging, extracellular vesicles, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, biomarkers, machine learning, brain health, aging, knowledge translation
