During his US days, Sivaram was associated with Herbert C. Brown and J. P. Kennedy and worked on alkylation of tertiary alkyl halides with trialkylaluminum.
His researches along with Kennedy is reported to have assisted in widening the knowledge base on the mechanism of carbocationic polymerization and led to the latter-day techniques of controlled and living carbocationic polymerization.
His researches have also helped in creating new properties in polymers and threw more light on the synthesis, structure and properties of polymeric materials.
He has also worked on polymer-layered clay nanocomposites and has been successful in synthesizing several organic modifiers for clay for the preparation of exfoliated nanocomposite of clay.
The team led by him at the National Chemical Laboratory conducted research on olefin polymerization using Ziegler Natta catalysts which opened a new school of research in the topic.
His researches are recorded in over 200 articles published in peer reviewed journals; ResearchGate, an online knowledge repository, has listed 225 of them.
He is the author of Living Anionic Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate, a book detailing his research on Living anionic polymerization.
He has also edited two books, Polymer Science, (2 Volumes) and Macromolecular Symposia, Volume 240.
Some of his articles have also been compiled as a book, Chemical vapor deposition: thermal and plasma deposition of electronic materials.
He is the holder of approximately 100 patents of which 50 are approved in the US.
He is known to be the holder of the highest number of US patents by an Indian-based outside the US and many of his inventions have been put to commercial use in India and abroad.
He has also guided 36 students in their doctoral researches.

Sivaram's efforts are known in the establishment of the first R&D centre on petrochemical research in India at NCL and transforming the organization into a centre for interdisciplinary research.
He is the founder of the NCL Innovation Park and the Technology-Business Incubator under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a first time in India.
He was involved in the establishment of Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) and served as the project director during formation of IISER Pune, in 2006.
He is the founder chairman Venture Center (Entrepreneurship Development Center), a not-for-profit initiative by the National Chemical Laboratory for promoting technology and knowledge-based enterprises for India, and sits on its Board of Directors.
During his US days, Sivaram was associated with Herbert C. Brown and J. P. Kennedy and worked on alkylation of tertiary alkyl halides with trialkylaluminum. His researches along with Kennedy is reported to have assisted in widening the knowledge base on the mechanism of carbocationic polymerization and led to the latter-day techniques of controlled and living carbocationic polymerization. His researches have also helped in creating new properties in polymers and threw more light on the synthesis, structure and properties of polymeric materials. He has also worked on polymer-layered clay nanocomposites and has been successful in synthesizing several organic modifiers for clay for the preparation of exfoliated nanocomposite of clay. The team led by him at the National Chemical Laboratory conducted research on olefin polymerization using Ziegler Natta catalysts which opened a new school of research in the topic. His researches are recorded in over 200 articles published in peer reviewed journals; ResearchGate, an online knowledge repository, has listed 225 of them. He is the author of Living Anionic Polymerization of Methyl Methacrylate, a book detailing his research on Living anionic polymerization. He has also edited two books, Polymer Science, (2 Volumes) and Macromolecular Symposia, Volume 240. Some of his articles have also been compiled as a book, Chemical vapor deposition: thermal and plasma deposition of electronic materials. He is the holder of approximately 100 patents of which 50 are approved in the US. He is known to be the holder of the highest number of US patents by an Indian-based outside the US and many of his inventions have been put to commercial use in India and abroad. He has also guided 36 students in their doctoral researches.
Sivaram's efforts are known in the establishment of the first R&D centre on petrochemical research in India at NCL and transforming the organization into a centre for interdisciplinary research. He is the founder of the NCL Innovation Park and the Technology-Business Incubator under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a first time in India. He was involved in the establishment of Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) and served as the project director during formation of IISER Pune, in 2006. He is the founder chairman Venture Center (Entrepreneurship Development Center), a not-for-profit initiative by the National Chemical Laboratory for promoting technology and knowledge-based enterprises for India, and sits on its Board of Directors.
Swaminathan Sivaram