[2][5][3] He was awarded in 1988 a Beit Memorial Fellowship to work with Michael Neuberger at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, before becoming a member of its research faculty in 1991.

[8] Venkitaraman's research continues to unveil new ways in which BRCA2 and related genes work to preserve genome integrity, and to explain how patients who carry BRCA2 mutations become more susceptible to early-onset cancers.

For example, they have selectively interrupted intracellular signaling by blocking the molecular recognition of protein phosphorylation using small-molecule chemical tools,[18] now being pursued by industry for anti-cancer therapy.

Having served for many years on the scientific advisory boards of companies such as Astex Therapeutics and Cambridge Antibody Technology/MedImmune, he currently holds appointments with Sentinel Oncology and PhoreMost.

He leads a collaborative research initiative with the National Center for Biological Sciences and inStem in Bangalore,[19][20] in which new technology is being applied to help develop drugs against cancer and other diseases.