Academic Profile

Dr. A. Shanmugasundharam is an Environmental Geologist and Aqueous Geochemist specializing in hydrogeochemistry, multi-scale field characterization, and sustainable water management. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Geology (Hydrogeochemistry) from the University of Madras. His research focuses on trace metal fate and transport using ICP-MS, geochemical modeling, and GIS-based risk assessment of anthropogenically impacted watersheds. With expertise in deploying piezometer networks and advanced analytical instrumentation, he has actively contributed to DAE-BRNS funded projects on uranium distribution in groundwater across Tamilnadu. He is dedicated to mentoring graduate researchers and designing industry-aligned geoscience curricula.

Educational Qualifications

Work & Research Experience

• Assistant Professor (2019 – Present): Malankara Catholic College, Kanyakumari. Subjects: Geochemistry, Hydrogeology, Remote Sensing & GIS, Water Management, Engineering Geology, Petrology.
• Junior Research Fellow (JRF) – DAE-BRNS Project (2016-2018): "Spatial Distribution of Uranium in groundwater and quality of groundwater in Thiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, Tamilnadu."
• Technical Assistant – DAE-BRNS Project (2014-2016): "Spatial Distribution of Uranium in groundwater – Trichy, Namakkal, Karur, Salem districts."

Core Competencies & Instrumentation

Key Publications

• Shanmugasundharam A., Akhina S.N., Adhithya R.P., Singh D.S.H., Krishnakumar S. (2023) – Water quality index (WQI), multivariate statistical and GIS for assessment of surface water quality of Karamana river estuary, west coast of India. Elsevier - Total Environment Research Themes, 6, 100031.
• Ramachandran A., Sivakumar K., Shanmugasundharam A., Sangunathan U., Krishnamurthy R.R. (2023) – Evaluation of potable groundwater zones identification based on WQI and GIS techniques in Adyar River basin. Total Environment Research Themes, 6, 100047.
• Shanmugasundharam A., Adhithya R.P., Krishnakumar A., Mahapatra S.R. – Evaluation of sediment and water quality status of Parakkai Lake, part of Suchindram Theroor Wetland complex (Ramsar Site) using pollution indices. Elsevier - Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management (in press/recent).
• Arumugam S., Karthikeyan S., Annathurai R., Mahapatra S.R., Shanmugasundharam A. – Ecological Risk Assessment and Trace Metal Distribution in Surface Water and Sediments of the Bay of Bengal, India. Elsevier - Regional Studies in Marine Science.
• Sivakumar K., Shanmugasundaram A., Jayaprakash M., Prabakaran K., et al. (2021) – Causes of heavy metal contamination in groundwater of Tuticorin industrial block, Tamil Nadu. Springer - Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
• Shanmugasundharam A., Kalpana G., Mahapatra S.R., Sudharson E.R., Jayaprakash M. (2018) – Assessment of Groundwater quality in Krishnagiri and Vellore Districts, Tamil Nadu. Springer - Applied Water Science.
• Mahapatra S.R., Venugopal T., Shanmugasundaram A., Giridharan L., Jayaprakash M. (2018) – Heavy metal index and GIS approach to study heavy metal contamination: north Chennai groundwater. Springer - Applied Water Science.
• Gopal V., Shanmugasundharam A., Nithya B., Magesh N.S., Jayaprakash M. (2018) – Water quality of Uppanar estuary: Implications on dissolved nutrients and trace elements. Elsevier - Marine Pollution Bulletin.
• Muthusamy S., Sivakumar K., Shanmugasundharam A., Jayaprakash M. (2018) – Appraisal on water chemistry of Manakudy estuary, southwest coast, India. Elsevier - Acta Ecologica Sinica.
• Ramachandran A., Krishnamurthy R.R., Jayaprakash M., Shanmugasundharam A. (2018) – Environmental impact assessment of surface water and groundwater quality due to flood hazard in Adyar River Bank. Acta Ecologica Sinica.
• Shanmugasundharam A., Sudharson E.R., Giridharan L., Nethaji S., Ravichandran K., Jayaprakash M. (2016) – Evaluation of groundwater quality in Ennore and Manali Industrial Regions, North Chennai. Enviro GeoChemica Acta.
• Mahapatra S.R., Shanmugasundharam A., Jayaprakash M. (2018) – Assessment of trace elements in groundwater and spatial distributions using GIS techniques around Chennai city. Climate Change in Water Resources (book chapter).
• Muthusamy S., Shanmugasundharam A., Jayaprakash M. – Shallow Sediment Physiognomies of Manakudy Estuary Southwest Coast of India. Int. J. of Global Environmental Issues.

More than 20 peer-reviewed articles in international journals of high repute.

Certifications & Advanced Training

• R&D Equipment on "Advance Instrument for Earth and Environmental Sciences" – NIT Warangal & CSIR-NGRI Hyderabad (DST, Govt. of India), 2023.
• Multiphase Approaches on Assessment and Sustainable Management of Stressed Coastal Aquifers – Pondicherry University, 2016.
• Advances in Aquifer Characterization and Parameter Estimation – GIAN & Anna University, Chennai, 2018.
• Isotope Tracer Techniques for Water Resources Development and Management – Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kerala, 2014.
• Basic Geostatistical Analysis for Experimental Datasets – University of Madras, 2017.
• Generation of National Database on Uranium in Drinking Water – BARC, Mumbai (DAE), 2017.

Conference Presentations & Workshops

• Presented research on "Hydrogeochemical Appraisal of Sarabanga Sub-basin" at National Conference on Water Resources, 2019.
• Attended International Workshop on "Coastal Aquifer Management" – Annamalai University, 2017.
• Oral presentation on uranium contamination in groundwater – DAE-BRNS symposium, 2018.
• Faculty Development Program on "Advanced Remote Sensing & GIS for Environmental Monitoring" – IIRS Dehradun (remote), 2021.

Academic Profiles & Impact

🔗 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0DxM1tEAAAAJ
🔗 ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shanmugasundharam-Arumugam
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shanmugasundharam-arumugam-293262a8