Area of research	Fish Cell culture, Fish Virology, Fish Disease Diagnosis, Fish vaccines, Antibacterial Residence
Education	MVSc., PhD.
Current Projects	Institute funded Diagnostic development of important pathogens, emerging AMR and other pathogens in aquatic environment and seafood (April 2024 to March 2027; Co-PI) Harnessing Aquatic Microbial Wealth for Sustainable Post Harvest Fisheries Through Biotechnological Approach (April 2025 to March 2028; Co-PI) External funded ASEAN-India Collaborative Research & Development project funded by Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), Detection of zoonotic parasite Anisakis spp. through molecular tools: An emerging public health concern
Awards and recognition	Fellowship of the Indian Virological Society 2024 (Aquatic Virology) ICAR National Fellow 2022 ICAR National Fellow 2017 Best research paper award by American Fisheries Society 2020 ICAR NBFGR Best Scientist Award 2020 ICAR NBFGR Best Scientist Award 2015 ICAR NBFGR Best Team Award 2014 ICAR NBFGR Best Team Award 2012 NAIP overseas fellowship to on Stem cell research (Fisheries) Expert Member of Subject Expert Committee (SEC) in subject area of Biosciences and Biotechnology “Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)” is a flagship scheme Nominated member, Institute Management Committee, ICAR Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi and ICAR Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture. Member, Technical and Inspection committee, DADHF, Ministry of Agriculture and farmer’s welfare for establishment of Brood stock multiplication center (BMC) Member of the expert committee, DADHF, Ministry of Agriculture and farmer’s welfare to develop aquatic animal quarantine units (AAQU) Member Executive Committee, The Marine Biological Association of India (MBAI), ICAR Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kerala since July 2024 DBT Nominee in the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSC) at ICAR-Central Institute Fisheries Technology Outside Member in the IBSC at ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute DBT Nominee in the IBSC, National Ayurveda Research Institute for Panchakarma, Kerala.
Publications (Best 5 publications)	Sagar Gorakh Satkar, Arun Sudhagar, Arathi Dharmaratnam, Thangaraj Raja Swaminathan, Neeraj Sood, Cheru Parambil Abhilash, Ravi Charan, Uttam Kumar Sarkar. 2025. Unravelling the ontogeny and tissue-specific expression profiles of immune-related genes in the near-threatened endemic catfish, Clarias dussumieri, Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 157, 110075, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2024.110075. Arathi Dharmaratnam, Arun Sudhagar, T. R. Swaminathan. 2024. Evaluation of protective effects of heat-inactivated cyprinid herpesvirus-2 (CyHV-2) vaccine against herpesviral hematopoietic necrosis disease (HVHND) in goldfish (Carassius auratus), Fish & Shellfish Immunology, 132, 108460, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsi.2022.108460. Rajendran KV, Sood N, Rao BM, Valsalam A, Bedekar MK, Jeena K, Pradhan PK, Paria A, Swaminathan TR, Verma DK, Sood NK. 2023. Widespread occurrence of Tilapia parvovirus in farmed Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus from India. Journal of Fish Diseases. doi: 10.1111/jfd.13871. Swaminathan, T.R., Tina Kollannoor Johny, Sundar Raj Nithianantham, Arun Sudhagar, Pravata Kumar Pradhan, Krupesha Sharma S R, Reshma R. Nair, and Neeraj Sood. 2022. A natural outbreak of Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) threatens wild pearlspot, Etroplus suratensis in Peechi Dam in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14494 Swaminathan, T. R., Narendrakumar Lekshmi, Prasannan Geetha Preena, Shanmuganathan Arun Raja, Dharmaratnam Arathi, and Nithianantham Sundar Raj. 2021.Comprehensive update on inventory of finfish cell lines developed during the last decade (2010-2020).  Reviews in Aquaculture, 13(4):2248-2288. DOI: 10.1111/raq.12566