Sivaram was born in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu on 4 November 1946.
His early college studies were at Madras Christian College from where he passed the graduate degree (BSc) in chemistry in 1965 after which he secured his master's degree (MSc) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1967.
Moving to the US, he did his doctoral research under Nobel Laureate Herbert C. Brown at Purdue University and secured his doctorate (PhD) in 1972.
He continued in the US for two more years and worked as a research associate at the Institute of Polymer Science of the University of Akron, Ohio.
He returned to India in 1973 and joined the Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (IPCL), Baroda as a research scientist where he worked in various capacities such as research manager and deputy general manager till 1988, when he moved to the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) as the Head of the Department of Polymer Chemistry.
In 2002, he was promoted as the director of the institution and worked there till his superannuation in 2010.

Sivaram has served as visiting faculty at many universities in India and abroad.
He was a visiting scientist at the Blaise Pascal University in 1991 during September–October.
In 1993–94, he was involved with the Institute of Chemical Technology as the K. S. S. Raghavan Chemical Weekly Visiting Professor of Polymer Science and Technology and has served the Universite Bordeaux in September – October 1995 as the visiting professor.
He was also a guest lecturer at the Free University of Berlin in May 1999 and the Harold A. Morton Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Akron in 2006.

Sivaram has been involved with the Government of India and its various autonomous bodies and is a former member of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C).
He is also a former member of the Task Force on Public Sector of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Innovation Council on Chemicals and Petrochemicals of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Board of Trustees of the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC).
He was the vice president of several science forums and societies such as the Indian Academy of Sciences from 2007 to 2012, the Indian National Science Academy from 2004 to 2006, the Chemical Research Society of India from 2005 to 2008 and the Materials Research Society of India from 2004 to 2007.
He has sat on the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune and the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai.
He has served as the faculty selection committee of the Indian Institute of Technology for their Mumbai, Kanpur, Chennai and Hyderabad institutes and is a member of the Scientific Council for Catalysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
Sivaram was born in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu on 4 November 1946. His early college studies were at Madras Christian College from where he passed the graduate degree (BSc) in chemistry in 1965 after which he secured his master's degree (MSc) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1967. Moving to the US, he did his doctoral research under Nobel Laureate Herbert C. Brown at Purdue University and secured his doctorate (PhD) in 1972. He continued in the US for two more years and worked as a research associate at the Institute of Polymer Science of the University of Akron, Ohio. He returned to India in 1973 and joined the Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (IPCL), Baroda as a research scientist where he worked in various capacities such as research manager and deputy general manager till 1988, when he moved to the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) as the Head of the Department of Polymer Chemistry. In 2002, he was promoted as the director of the institution and worked there till his superannuation in 2010.
Sivaram has served as visiting faculty at many universities in India and abroad. He was a visiting scientist at the Blaise Pascal University in 1991 during September–October. In 1993–94, he was involved with the Institute of Chemical Technology as the K. S. S. Raghavan Chemical Weekly Visiting Professor of Polymer Science and Technology and has served the Universite Bordeaux in September – October 1995 as the visiting professor. He was also a guest lecturer at the Free University of Berlin in May 1999 and the Harold A. Morton Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Akron in 2006.
Sivaram has been involved with the Government of India and its various autonomous bodies and is a former member of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C). He is also a former member of the Task Force on Public Sector of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Innovation Council on Chemicals and Petrochemicals of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Board of Trustees of the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC). He was the vice president of several science forums and societies such as the Indian Academy of Sciences from 2007 to 2012, the Indian National Science Academy from 2004 to 2006, the Chemical Research Society of India from 2005 to 2008 and the Materials Research Society of India from 2004 to 2007. He has sat on the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune and the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. He has served as the faculty selection committee of the Indian Institute of Technology for their Mumbai, Kanpur, Chennai and Hyderabad institutes and is a member of the Scientific Council for Catalysis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
Swaminathan Sivaram