Loganathan received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Madras, India, his master’s and doctoral degrees from Annamalai University in Porto Novo, India , as well as a second doctoral degree from Ehime University in Matsuyama, Japan.

“Dr. Logan,” as he is known to his students, was attracted to MSU due to its proximity to Kentucky and Barkley Lakes . One of Loganathan’s primary research interests is man-made pollutants in rivers and lakes. Since coming to MSU, Loganathan, along with many MSU chemistry students, have studied the pollution levels of chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) and chlorinated pesticides in both lakes. Loganathan and his students’ research indicates that fish from both lakes are not highly toxic and contain very low levels of pollutants compared to Lake Michigan and the Hudson River, and less than the FDA established limits for human consumption.

Loganathan says his research is derived from the principle that the quality of our lives is depends on the quality of our environment. Since high school, research in environmental pollution and environmental conservation has been a passion for him. “I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to examine these chemical pollutants from aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric environments of several countries, including India , Japan and the U.S. ” Manmade chemicals such as PCB’s, DDT and other pesticides and their effect on freshwater species and human consumption are at the center of his research.

Loganathan has published several research articles describing environmental distribution, behavior and fate of man-made compounds in various environmental media and organisms in a specific region. His overview of this data collected worldwide is titled, “Global Orgnochlorine Chlorine Contamination Trends: An Overview,” which was published in Ambio, A Journal of the Human Environment, published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, the society that awards the Nobel Prize.

Upon joining the MSU chemistry department, Loganathan had the opportunity to expand his research, examining the effects of pollutants at the molecular level. Loganathan collaborated with Dr. Margaret Whalen, who is presently at Tennessee State University , to study the effect of environmental pollutants on cancer fighting ability in humans using a type of white blood cells called natural killer lymphocytes (NK cells). Together, they demonstrated for the first time that butyltin compounds (which are used in plastics, wood preservatives, anti-fouling paints used for ships, etc.) affect the cancer-killing ability of NK cells in humans. Loganathan’s approach to this study gained the attention of numerous environmental chemists, cancer researchers, educators and national and international environmental agencies, and his findings have been reported by national and international news media. Loganathan has presented his research findings in countries around the world, including Norway , Canada , Germany , Spain , South Korea , Italy and Sweden . Loganathan has published over sixty research articles, several of them highly cited. His articles addressed regional, national and global environmental issues and how we can improve our quality of life by preventing exposure to highly toxic environmental pollutants.

Growing up on a small farm in the southern part of India , Loganathan was inspired at an early age to attend college, despite being financially strapped as one of eight children. “My father and mother had a great dream,” said Loganathan. “I have the greatest respect for them and their hard work and dedication to educate me and my brothers and sisters.” He credits his oldest brother, Dr. Bommanna Krishnappan, as his inspiration and support for his higher education.

Loganathan, his wife Selvi, a registered nurse at Murray Calloway County Hospital, along with their son Sudan, a tenth grader at Murray High School, and daughter Dheepa, a sixth grader at Murray Middle School, are proud to call Murray their home.