Dr. Ramanathan is currently a Vice Chancellor's Fellow at the School of Science, RMIT University. He has a cross-disciplinary expertise that spans from physical sciences (materials chemistry) to biological sciences (microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology and bioinformatics) and engineering (nanotechnology). This broad expertise across academia and industry (previous experience) has enabled him to lead and contribute to several projects across disciplinary boundaries. His research in the area of bio-electrochemistry has led to the use of different bacteria as ‘nano-factories’ to achieve eco-friendly synthesis of nanoparticles. Dr Ramanathan employs electrochemistry to understand bio-geochemical processes within individual bacterial cells leading to the discovery of new enzymes involved in biogeochemical processes and gaining new insights into microbial biogeochemical pathways. In addition to collaborations with CSIRO and other national research institutions, Dr Ramanathan has developed an extensive international network of collaborators at institutions such as University of Waterloo (Canada), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) (USA), University of Massachusetts (USA) and Martin Luther University (Germany).