His work in solid-state chemistry on structure-property relationships of inorganic compounds has led to several new functional materials, many of which have found usage in various applications.

[4] In 1982 he completed his Ph.D. in solid state chemistry on pyrochlore oxides at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, under the guidance of G. V. Subba Rao.

He has contributed to the fields of ceramics, superconductors, dielectrics, catalysis, thermoelectrics, multiferroics, ionic conductors, and organic synthesis.

He and his team, at Oregon State University, work on various topics such as pigments, thermoelectrics, high-temperature superconductivity, magnetoresistivity, solid fast ion conductors, high-K dielectrics, and topological insulators.

In June 2021, Subramanian provided YInMn Blue to Sir Martyn Poliakoff for use in the Periodic Videos educational web series.