Dr. Srinand Sreevatsan has dedicated his scientific career to zoonotic disease investigations at the cellular and molecular level. He is interested in the ecology and molecular evolution of infectious agents and how they are modulated by changes in host and environmental niches. Sreevatsan's research is highly interdisciplinary and encompasses all aspects of cellular, molecular pathogen-host interactions and epidemiology, ecology of infectious disease, and collaborations across the country and the globe. A translational aspect of his studies is the development of novel unambiguous disease detection platforms and applications into immunoprophylaxis. Sreevatsan's scientific inquiry has focused on the world’s greatest infectious diseases, such as those caused by mycobacteria, prions, and influenza A.

Pathobiological or biomedical studies in Sreevatsan's lab are designed to answer transmission questions and identify the most representative strains/molecules for optimal vaccine development. His research findings have further lent to the development of genome-wide SNP analyses in MTB Complex and enhanced understanding of disease character and outcome and velocity of pathogen spread.

Over the last 15 years, Sreevatsan's research has taken a turn toward translational science. He has applied basic molecular evolutionary genomics and pathogenesis information to diagnostics and vaccine development. One major focus area has been in applications of high-resolution genomics and proteomics to identify pathogen-specific biomarkers for early detection and tracking of mycobacterial infections in animals and humans. A second area of emphasis is the development of pathogen/receptor specific ligands to enable detection, as well drug targeting. Sreevatsan has developed a pipeline of methods to select and validate DNA aptamers for this purpose.

In addition to a strong scientific program, Sreevatsan has developed a strong interdisciplinary, international collaboration on mycobacterial diseases of animals and humans.