About the PI

Irfan holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry on neutrophil functions in hypertension. He carried out his early education at Rabbani High School, St Francis de Sales College, and Nagpur University, Nagpur (India). He completed a postdoctoral fellowship on lung toxicology at the University of Miami and Georgetown University., before relocating to the University of Edinburgh, where he focused on environmental agents and lung inflammation and received an appointment as a Senior Research Scientist/Lecturer.^[9]

Irfan is a Dean’s Professor at the Department of Environmental Medicine, Medicine (Pulmonary), University of Rochester Medical Center, USA,^[4] Public Health Sciences and General Dentistry at the University of Rochester Medical Center (School of Medicine and Dentistry), NY.^[3]

He works extensively on understanding mechanisms affecting lung function and pathology in various chronic respiratory diseases by external factors, such as environmental smoke and air pollution. Irfan primarily focuses on research regarding oxidative stress, inflammation, molecular clock, mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetics, and cellular senescence by environmental tobacco smoke/tobacco products (cigarette smoke, e-cigarettes, flavoring chemicals in e-cigarettes, waterpipe/hookah, iQOS, CBD/THC, and cigars), airborne particulate matter, ozone, carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, microplastics, and PFOS/PFAS Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid/perfluorinated alkylated substances, also called perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in the lung (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis/Interstitial Lung Diseases), as well as oral/periodontal diseases. His major research emphasis and focus have been on understanding the pathophysiology of chronic inflammatory lung diseases particularly Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)/emphysema, lung cancer, and pulmonary fibrosis. ^[3] 

Irfan has gained international recognition for his research on the prevention and treatment of smoking-induced lung diseases and has published more than 350 papers/articles in peer-reviewed journals with more than 60,000 citations along with an impact factor of more than H=115.^[5]

Irfan has several patents on his remarkable discoveries and findings, e.g., patents on biomarkers for identifying e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury, and methods of treating chronic inflammatory diseases.^{[5] [6]}

Irfan Rahman has been featured in several interviews and publications over the years, including CBS News, NBC News, Forbes, and Hindustan Times, to name a few.

Irfan Rahman has more than 300 research publications and several book chapters to his name.  His research was published in several peer-reviewed journals.^{[5] [7]}

• 2013 – Inflammation, Advancing Age and Nutrition
• Biswas S and Rahman I. Bioactive polyphenols and lung diseases. Book chapter (Elsevier) 2013.
• Jae-woong Hwang*, Isaac K. Sundar*, Hongwei Yao, and Irfan Rahman. SIRT1 and inflammaging in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ‘Inflammaging’ by Elsevier 2013.
• Sundar IK*, Yao H, Rahman I. Smoking, Oxidative Stress, and Redox Signaling in Inflammation. In Systems Biology of Free Radicals and Antioxidants.  EDITOR: I. Laher (UBC, Canada), Springer-Verlag (Germany) 2013.
• Sundar IK* and Rahman I. Reactive Oxygen Species, Kinase Signaling, and Redox Regulation of Epigenetics. Springer (Eds- Ursula H Jakob and Dana Reichmann), Oxidative Stress and Re4dox Regulation, 2013.
• Saravanan Rajendrasozhan, Rahman I. Phytochemicals in cigarette/tobacco smoke-mediated inflammation. Book Chapter (Nova), 2012.
• Saravanan Rajendrasozhan, Isaac K Sundar*, Rahman I. Epigenetics and nutrigenomics in chronic inflammatory lung diseases: nutritional and therapeutic interventions. Book Chapter (Taylor & Francis). 2012.
• Yao H, Rahman I. Experimental models to study cigarette smoke-induced oxidative stress in vitro and in vivo in pre-clinical models, and in smokers and patients with airways disease. OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ANIMAL MODELS AND HUMAN DISEASES. (Springer/Humana Press) 2010. 
• Yao H, Rahman I. Role of inflammation in Pulmonary Diseases. INFLAMMATION, LIFE STYLE AND CHRONIC DISEASES: THE SILENT LINK. Aggarwal BB, Editor. (Taylor and Francis Group) 2010.
• Rahman I. Polyphenols, inflammation and epigenetics. In Nutrition and Epigenetics (Taylor and Francis), 2009.
• Sundar IK* and Rahman I. Methods in Chromatin Modifications in Handbook of the Methods for studying Redox Signaling, Mary Ann Liebert, NY. 2009.
• Rahman I and Biswas S. Regulation of inflammation, redox and glucocorticoid signaling by dietary polyphenols. In Dietary Modulation of Cell Signaling Pathways. Taylor & Francis Group (ed. Y.J. Surh), 2008.
• Rahman, I. Update on Reactive Oxygen Species in COPD and Asthma. Chapter in Asthma and COPD-Basic mechanisms and clinical management (Eds. Barnes, Drazen, Rennard, and Thomson), Academic Press, 2008.
• Rahman I. Smoking and oxidative stress and corticosteroid responsiveness. Chapter in Overcoming Steroid Efficacy in Respiratory Disease edited by Ian Adcock and Fan Chung. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, UK. 2008, pp125-141.
• Biswas, S.K., I. Megson, C.A. Shaw, and I. Rahman. Cigarette smoking, inflammation and obesity. Chapter in Phytopharmaceuticals for Obesity Treatment: Pathophysiology and Weight Management. CRC and Taylor & Francis press (Eds. D. Bagchi, and Preuss), pp43-63, 2007.
• Rahman, I., and S.K. Biswas. Oxidants and Antioxidants. Encyclopedia of Respiratory Medicine (Eds. Laurent, and Shapiro), Elsevier, pp 258-265, 2006.
• Rahman, I. Redox effects of cigarette smoke in lung inflammation. Chapter in Cigarette smoke and oxidative stress (Eds. B. Halliwell, and H.E. Poulsen), Springer-Verlag, pp 113-164, 2006.
• Rahman, I. Oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of COPD. Chapters in Cigarette smoke and oxidative stress (Eds. B. Halliwell, and H.E. Poulsen), Springer-Verlag, pp 165-199, 2006.
• Rahman, I. Oxidative stress in smokers and chronic lung diseases. Chapter in Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Health (Eds. Young-Joon Surh, and Lester Packer), CRC Taylor and Francis, New York, USA, pp 291-368, 2005.
• Rahman, I. Oxidative stress in COPD: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms. Chapter in Lung Biology Health and Disease (Eds. Peter Barnes, and Claude Lenfant), Marcel Dekker, New York, USA, pp 279-326, 2005.
• MacNee, W., and I. Rahman. Oxidative stress in smokers and COPD. Chapter in Long-term intervention in COPD (Eds. R.A. Pawels, Dirkj S. Postma, and Scott T. Weiss), Marcel Dekker, NY, 2006.
• Rahman, I. Smoking-induced inflammation, injury and disease: Molecular mechanisms. Chapter in Lung Biology Health and Disease (Eds. Val Vallyathan, and Claude Lenfant), Marcel Dekker, New York, USA, pp 211-257, 2004.
• MacNee, W., and I. Rahman. Oxidative Stress in COPD. Chapter in Lung Biology Health and Disease, Marcel Dekker, New York, USA, pp 317-359, 2004.
• Rahman, I., and W. MacNee. Oxidative stress and inflammation in COPD. Chapter in COPD, second edition (Eds. P. Calverley, W. MacNee, N. Pride, and S. Rennard), Arnold Health Sciences Publishers, pp 110-124, 2003.
• Rahman I and W. MacNee. Reactive oxygen species in COPD and asthma. Chapter in Asthma and COPD-Basic mechanisms and clinical management (Eds. Barnes, Drazen, Rennard, and Thomson), Academic Press, pp 243-254, 2002.
• Rahman, I. Oxidative stress and gene transcription in inflammation and lung diseases: Therapeautic approaches. SFRR-Free Radical Research book (Eds. Aruoma, and Baharoun), pp 39-58, 2004.

With the American Thoracic Society (ATS), he has served as a program committee member and as chair for numerous symposia sessions on lung disease research, chair of the Lung Aging working group of the RCMB-ATS, and the past-President of Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology (SOT). He has been designated as a Fellow of the ATS. Through community education efforts, Irfan has also educated people about the dangers of smoking. Vaping, and other exposures in India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In 2022, Irfan Rahman received an American Thoracic Society Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments.^[8] He has been conferred with the 2023 SOT leading edge in basic science award recognizing for his contributions to pulmonary toxicology and specifically how e-cig and cigarette smoke cause lung injury and disease.^[9]  Irfan has also been awarded a Senior Toxicologist Award by the SOT - Associations of Scientists of Indian Origin.^[4] The award was presented to Dr. Irfan in the presence of several SOT meeting attendees, as well as several NIEHS officials. He received the award at the SOT 56th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in Baltimore, MD, on Mar 13, 2017.^{[4] [10]} 

Irfan received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the "National Conference (NCSCA-2019)" 11^th National Conference on Solid State Chemistry and Allied Areas (NCSCA-2019), Nagpur, India. He was the recipient of a career achievement award from the IRSS SOT in 2013 in Inhalation Toxicology. He received an Outstanding Senior Investigator Award (2006) given to him by the Oxygen Society, Santa Barbara, CA.