Kanmani Chandra Rajan

Post doctoral research fellow currently working on shark fin material characterization for development of better conservation tools and biomimetic material development.

Has strong expertise in leading and completing interdisciplinary research combining biomaterial characterization techniques and molecular approaches, with track record of obtaining collaborative research fund, peer reviewed publications and science communication/ presentation awards.

• Mike Schindler, Benjamin Flaum, Armita Razieh Manafzadeh, Viktoriia Kamska, Kanmani Chandra Rajan, Maria Jose Robles Malagamba, Ruien Hu, Daniel Baum, Mason Dean (2024). Helmeted hornbill cranial kinesis: balancing mobility and stability in a high-impact joint. Anatomical Records (under review)
• Chandra Rajan, K., Li, Y., Dang, X., Lim, Y. K., Suzuki, M., Lee, S. W., & Vengatesen, T. (2023). Directional fabrication and dissolution of larval and juvenile oyster shells under ocean acidification. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 290(1991), 20221216.
• Chandra Rajan, K., Meng, Y., Yu, Z., Roberts, S. B., & Vengatesen, T. (2021). Oyster biomineralization under ocean acidification: From genes to shell. Global Change Biology, 27(16), 3779-3797.
• Rajan, K. C., & Vengatesen, T. (2020). Molecular adaptation of molluscan biomineralisation to high-CO2 oceans–The known and the unknown. Marine Environmental Research, 155, 104883.
• Fitzer, S. C., Bin San Chan, V., Meng, Y., Rajan, K.C., Suzuki, M., Not, C., ... & Fal, L. (2019). Established and Emerging Techniques for Characterising the Formation, Structure and Performance of Calcified Structures under Ocean Acidification. In Oceanography and Marine Biology. Taylor & Francis.

• Frontiers in Marine Science
• Marine Pollution bulletin
• Marine Environmental Research
• Marine and Freshwater Research

• Invited speaker at the Global biodiversity festival 2022. Oyster biomineralization under ocean acidification.
• Oral presentation at American Malacological Society Annual meeting June 2021 (Virtual due to COVID-19 pandemic) - Oyster Biomineralization under ocean acidification: from genes to shells.
• Oral presentation at BiominXV – the 15th International Symposium on Biomineralization, at Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Bavaria, Germany (9 to 13th September 2019) on the title - Oyster biomineralisation in acidifying oceans.
• Visiting Scholar – South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China (June 2019).
• Participated in one-week Bioinformatics training at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden (November 2018), organised by Dr Pierre De Wit.
• Organizing Committee member, GRAMMER 2019 (Graduate symposium on Marine Environmental Research) by the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.
• Poster presentation at XMAS’2017 (Xiamen symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences) on the title: Will ocean acidification affect molluscan shell?
• Organizing Committee member, ISOACC 2016 (Interdisciplinary Symposium on Ocean Acidification and Climate Change) by Dr Rajan’s lab, The Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong.

• Constance Boone Award for best student presentation at American Malacological Society (AMS) Virtual Annual Meeting 2021 - June 18, 2021 - For presenting findings from PhD research on oyster biomineralization under ocean acidification.
• Online People's Choice Award, HKU 3 Minute Thesis competition (3 MT), 2020 - based on public speaking / science communication skill.
• Universitas 21 – Graduate Collaborative Research Award worth USD 5800 (2018 – 2019) - based on research proposal merit.
• First Prize – Best Paper award at GRAMMER 2019 - Graduate Symposium on Marine Environmental Research, the City University of Hong Kong - For presenting PhD research findings on oyster biomineralization under ocean acidification - Criteria: Research findings, presentation skill.
• Khorana Fellowship awarded by Indo – US Science & Technology Forum (June – August 2015) - Khorana fellowship is a prestigious summer research fellowship provided by Indo - US Science and Technology Forum, Department of Biotechnology - Government of India and Winstep forward - USA for promoting academic and scientific knowledge exchange between India and the USA - Based on academic merit among all the applicants from India for the program.
• Summer Research Fellowship awarded by Indian Academy of Sciences (June – July 2013) - Awarded to Indian science students for performing a summer research project in one of the leading research institutes in the country - Based on academic merit among all the applicants from India for the program.

• Manager/leader - Knowledge exchange activities at HKO-HIRU (Hong Kong Oyster Hatchery and Innovation Research Unit) 2022- present - incharge of managing the knowledge exchange activities of the research unit which is open for public, oyster growers, students, researchers, government officials who are interested in learning about oyster hatchery operations.
• Organiser and Instructor: Hands-on training workshop on Electron Back Scatter Diffraction at the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong from Jan 21 to Jan 31, 2019. The workshop was attended by 8 PhD students from HKU (School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry), University of Auckland and University of British Columbia. The aim of the workshop to bring together students from various disciplines and cultural background to learn together and collaborate.
• List of undergraduate level courses that I assisted teaching at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), School of Biological Sciences: The teaching duties involve conducting lab demonstrations, giving short lectures on selected topics with the professor, organising field trips and grading lab reports and presentations.
  2016 – 2017:
  1) BIOL 1309 – Evolutionary diversity;
  2) ENVS 1301 – Environmental Life Science
  2017 – 2018:
  1) BIOL 2220 – Principles of Biochemistry
  2) ENVS 1301 – Environmental Life Science
  3) BIOL 3505 – Oyster Aquaculture and restoration
  4) BIOL 3206 – Clinical Nutrition
  2018 – 2019:
  1) ENVS 1301 – Environmental Life Science
  2) BIOL 4505 – Oyster Aquaculture and restoration
  2019 – 2020:
  1) ENVS 2001 – Methods in Environmental Science

Leadership team member at Mothers in Science, a leading global nonprofit advocating for mothers in STEMM and creating evidence-based solutions to promote workplace equity and inclusion of parents and caregivers. 

Science communicator (Tamil - Indian regional language and English) - at TheTamilScientist https://www.thetamilscientist.com/youtube