Biography
Dr Nagendrakumar Singanallur Balasubramanian is a Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong, specialising in transboundary and emerging livestock diseases, with a particular focus on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). With over two decades of experience in veterinary virology and immunology, his work spans molecular epidemiology, vaccine development, and diagnostic assay design and validation. He is one of the FAO-WOAH-designated Regional Experts for FMD in Southeast Asia. He has played a significant role in advancing FMD control strategies, including identifying vaccine strains, developing novel vaccine platforms such as virus-like particles, and improving diagnostic technologies for rapid and accurate disease detection. Dr Singanallur has led and contributed to major national and international research initiatives, collaborating with global institutions such as The Pirbright Institute, Plum Island Animal Disease Centre, Wageningen Veterinary Research and Friedrich-Loeffler Institute. His research has supported vaccine efficacy evaluation, development of new animal challenge models, and safe sample handling methods to enhance biosecurity preparedness. His publication record reflects broad expertise across virology, vaccinology, and disease diagnostics, including studies on FMD virus evolution, vaccine cross-protection, and emerging diagnostic approaches using molecular and machine-learning techniques. Through his work, Dr Singanallur contributes to strengthening Australia’s and the region’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to high-impact animal diseases, supporting agricultural resilience and global biosecurity.
Professional Areas
Current Roles
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Senior Research Scientist
FMD Research Projects, Immunomics Team
Academic Qualifications
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2009
PhD
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, India -
1999
MVSc
Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India -
1994
BVSc
Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, India
Achievements and Awards
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1987-1994
Indian Council of Agricultural Research Fellowships
Indian Council for Agricultural Research, India -
1997-2000
ISSAR Gold Medal
Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, India -
2009-2009
Albert Linghard Memorial Award
Indian Society of Veterinary Immunology and Biotechnology (ISVIB) -
2016-2016
Inclusive & Diverse Team
CSIRO Health & Biosecurity -
2016-2017
Australia China Agricultural Cooperation Agreement Travel Grant for Trade Mission
Department of Agriculture and Water Reseources, Government of Australia
Other highlights
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2019-2020
CSIRO Chairman’s Medal 2020 - COVID-19 Team
ORCID 0000-0002-0523-3853