Subramanyam Vemulpad

Biography

BSc (Bangalore), MSc (Madras), PhD (Delhi), MASM Associate Professor Subramanyam Vemulpad is a medical microbiologist, with wide ranging experience in public health and infectious diseases. Prior to his arrival at Macquarie in May 2000, Dr Vemulpad worked for the NSW Public Health (1996–2000). His overseas experience includes as a foundation academic at the University College of Medicine, Malawi (1994-1996) and the Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar (Indian Council of Medical Research; 1984-1994).

Research Interest

Associate Professor Vemulpad’s research interests include infectious diseases, plant products as antimicrobial agents, best practice in collaborating with Indigenous communities and complementary and alternate medicine (CAM). He is a foundation Co-Director of the Indigenous Bioresources Research Group at Macquarie University. The group’s major objectives are to systematically document first-hand traditional medicinal plant knowledge of Indigenous people using best ethical practices, and to apply this knowledge to identifying medicinally important compounds by targeted chemical and biological studies. This research has been supported by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC) and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). Associate Professor Vemulpad has established valuable interdisciplinary collaborations with medicinal chemist Associate Professor Joanne Jamie and Physicist Professor Ewa Goldys, to pursue his research interests in the broad areas of infectious diseases and applied microbiology (diagnostic potential of autofluorescence of clinical samples) and complementary and alternate medicine.