Biostatistics · Epidemiology · GIS

Sinthanai Selvan Palanisamy

Project Research Scientist‑I (Biostatistics) at ICMR – National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai

I design statistical analysis plans, estimate sample size & power, and build spatial and Bayesian models that turn public health surveillance data into evidence for decision‑making.

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4+ yrs
Public Health Research
150+
Labs — Surveillance Data
2
Peer‑reviewed Publications
Portrait of Sinthanai Selvan Palanisamy
About

Professional Summary

Biostatistician with experience in public health and clinical research, epidemiological studies, and large‑scale health surveillance data. Experienced in quantitative research and evidence generation to support epidemiological research, disease surveillance, and public health decision‑making.

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Statistics & Biostatistics

Study design, SAP development, sampling strategy, sample size & power analysis, descriptive & inferential statistics.

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Epidemiology

Infectious disease modelling, outbreak investigation, disease surveillance analytics, causal inference designs.

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Surveillance Data

Curation of large‑scale laboratory surveillance data across 150+ VRDL labs; REDCap/eCRF development & QA.

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Bayesian Modelling

Bayesian analysis and modelling alongside regression, multivariate, time‑series, and survival analysis.

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Geospatial / GIS

Spatial analysis and geospatial modelling using QGIS and GeoDa for epidemiological research.

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Data Viz & Dashboards

Interactive dashboards, KPI analytics, and web‑based data applications with Looker Studio, R Shiny.

Career

Professional Experience

Nov 2024 – Present

Project Research Scientist‑I (Biostatistics)

ICMR – National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai
  • Lead statistical analyses for public health and epidemiological research projects.
  • Develop Statistical Analysis Plans (SAPs), sampling strategies, and analytical approaches.
  • Perform sample size estimation for observational and clinical studies.
  • Support protocol development, grant proposals, and manuscript preparation.
  • Manage research databases and data quality assurance.
  • Conduct geospatial analysis, spatial modelling, and epidemiological analyses.
  • Provide biostatistical consultation to multidisciplinary research teams.
Aug 2022 – Oct 2024

Project Technical Officer (Biostatistics)

ICMR – National Institute of Epidemiology
  • Managed surveillance data from more than 150 VRDL laboratories.
  • Developed REDCap eCRFs and data validation rules.
  • Prepared publication‑quality statistical tables and visualizations.
  • Developed SOPs for clinical research data management.
  • Conducted statistical training for MPH and M.Sc. students.
Jun 2022 – Jul 2022

Data Analyst

National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu
  • Worked on Population Health Registry data management and analysis.
  • Created dashboards using Google Looker Studio.
Education

Academic Background

2020 – 2022

M.Sc. Biostatistics

National Institute of Epidemiology, ICMR School of Public Health

2017 – 2020

B.Sc. Statistics

Government Arts and Science College, Kumbakonam

Research

Publications

See full record on Google Scholar.

BMC Infectious Diseases · 2025

Abdulkader RS, Ramasamy S, Vaman RS, Sapkal GN, Narayan J, Sinthanai SP, et al. Acute encephalitis syndrome and Japanese encephalitis in India: insights from a nationally representative laboratory surveillance network, 2014–2023.

DOI: 10.1186/s12879-025-12274-7 →
The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia · 2025

Abdulkader RS, Vijay N, Potdar V, Sinthanai SP, Narayan J, Ramasamy S, et al. Epidemiology of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in India: a cross‑sectional study.

DOI: 10.1016/j.lansea.2025.100667 →

Conference & Poster Presentations

  • Poster — VIROCON 2025, ICMR–National Institute of Virology (NIV): "Outbreak investigations done through the VRDL Network in India, 2014–2024."
  • Attendee — India AI Impact Summit 2026.
Toolkit

Skills & Methods

Statistical Methods

Sample size & power Regression analysis Multivariate analysis Time‑series analysis Survival analysis Bayesian analysis & modelling Meta‑analysis Social network analysis Infectious disease modelling Geospatial / spatial modelling

Research & Data Management

SAP development Sampling design Protocol development Clinical trial data mgmt REDCap / eCRF Reproducible research

Programming & Software

RSTATASPSS SAS (basics)PythonSQL Quarto / R MarkdownShiny

Geospatial & Visualization

QGISGeoDa Google Looker StudioHTML / CSSLaTeX

Languages

EnglishTamil
Training

Workshops & Capacity Building

  • Sample Size and Power Analysis in Medical Research — NIMHANS, Bengaluru, 2024.
  • Workshop on Public Health Legislation — ICMR–NIE, 2025.
  • AI in Public Health and Epidemiology Workshop — AI‑VRDLN.
  • Design and Analysis of Epidemiologic Studies for Causal Inference — CISMAC, ICMR–NIE, 2024.
  • Capacity Building Program on Biostatistical & Clinical Epidemiological Methods — Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, 2021.

Let's work together

Open to collaboration on biostatistics, epidemiology, and public health data science projects.

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