[5] Umapathy, born on 10 June 1959 in Tanjavur in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, graduated in chemistry from the Kongunadu Arts and Science College of the University of Madras.
[6] Subsequently, he moved to New Zealand for his doctoral studies and secured a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Otago.
[6]He also served as Director (September 2018 to August 2023) of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (IISER).
[9] His group also utilizes other spectroscopic techniques like infra red and is involved in the examination of the molecular structure of cells and tissues.
[10] Using Raman spectroscopic techniques, he has developed a method to identify biomarkers in cells which is estimated to assist in early cancer detection.