She completed her undergraduate studies at St. Joseph's College, Bangalore in 1989, receiving Bachelor's degrees in Environmental Science, Chemistry and Botany.

[4] She obtained a Master's degree (1990-1994) and a Doctorate (1996-2001) from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), part of the College of William and Mary.

[4] Venkatraman's debut novel, Climbing the Stairs,[6] was released to starred reviews in Booklist, Publishers Weekly and Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA).

Venkatraman's second novel, Island' End,[8] was released to starred reviews in Kirkus, Booklist, School Library Journal[9] and Publishers Weekly.

The Bridge Home Audiobook was a Junior Library Guild selection and won Audiophile Magazine's Earphone Award.