Dr. Valahas holds a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Molecular Virology from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, where he pursued research, as a Maitland-Ramsay scholar, in the areas of immunology and molecular virology. The basis of his research work was on establishing assays for high-throughput screening of natural products and their effects against viral interferon signaling antagonists.
From 2007, Dr Valahas has been teaching biology and chemistry modules as well as delivering seminars for the International Honors Program on infectious diseases and has been supervising student research in the fields of biomedical and environmental sciences. He has also served as Director for the ACG Center of Excellence for Sustainability.
His research lies at the intersection of biological chemistry, evolutionary biology, and environmental science, with a focus on the molecular and chemical foundations of ecological and physiological systems. I investigate vegetation dynamics in aeolian (wind-driven) formations and analyze seasonal variations in microplastic contamination of sand dune ecosystems, examining how chemical pollutants and abiotic stressors influence biological communities. His integrative work on chameleons spans phylogenetic analysis, population structure, and trophic ecology, exploring the biochemical interactions between these reptiles and their insect and plant-based diets. At the molecular level, he studies metabolic regulation in Saccharomyces, particularly the biochemical switch between aerobic and anaerobic respiration, to understand energy adaptation mechanisms across species. In parallel, his work in viral phylogenetics and the evolutionary history of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) examines their potential role in shaping immune function and contributing to autoimmune disease through epigenetic and transcriptional disruptions.
Through this multidisciplinary lens, Dr. Valahas aims to uncover the chemical and evolutionary mechanisms that link molecular processes with ecological outcomes, bridging micro- and macro-level biology to address pressing questions in health, biodiversity, and environmental susta