Dr Manoharan Ramachandran

Professional biography

Dr. Manoharan Ramachandran is a Lecturer in the Department of Computing and Communications at the Open University, specializing in blockchain, smartphone data privacy, and healthcare research, alongside mobile application development. He holds a BE and ME in Computer Science from Anna University, India (2013, 2015), and completed his PhD in Intelligent Transportation Safety at Bournemouth University, UK, in 2018.

Since joining the Open University in 2018 as a Research Associate, Dr. Ramachandran has contributed to multiple innovative projects. His early work focused on leveraging blockchain technology to securely store lifelong learning records and develop an industry-standard accreditation tool for UK learners, a project funded by the Institute of Coding. He later worked on an experimental, data-driven bug localization project funded by Huawei. Currently, he is advancing the PainPad project, which aims to assist clinicians in understanding patients’ pain through higher-quality data collection, while reducing the workload for healthcare staff.

Dr. Ramachandran has a proven track record in mobile app development, having created several award-winning applications in the domain of transportation safety. Among his achievements is the Qualcomm Developer of the Month award (2016) for his innovative drowsy driver alert app, which significantly contributes to road safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he developed a prototype mobile application for antibody testing and vaccination certification for iOS and Android.

Beyond academia, Dr. Ramachandran is the creator of a thriving Tamil-language YouTube channel 'CryptoTamil' dedicated to cryptocurrency and blockchain news and tutorials. His channel has become a key resource for the global Tamil-speaking community, amassing over 125,000 subscribers.

Research interests

Blockchain, Digital Health, Smartphone Data Privacy, Intelligent Transportation Systems