S Shivaji currently serves as the Director of Prof Brien Holden Eye Research Centre at LVPEI. He joined LVPEI, Hyderabad, in August 2013, as a Microbiology Mentor. Prior to this he was associated with Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and retired from there as a Director-grade Scientist in 2012 and continued as a consultant at CCMB till June 2013.

His research interests include microbial diversity of Antarctica, Arctic, Himalayas, Stratosphere and other cold habitats, molecular basis of cold adaptation, molecular basis of mammalian sperm fertilizing ability, conservation of endangered animals and genetic basis of endometriosis. He is also the co-founder of the Laboratoty for the Conservation of Endangered species (LaCONES) a facility dedicated to research on the conservation of Indian endangered animals. He is a fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian Academy of Sciences, India, Telangana Akademi of Sciences, India, and Fellow of the Association of Microbiologists of India. In recognition of his work in the area of Antarctic microbiology he was awarded the Antarctic Award for excellence in the field of Biological Sciences in 2002 and the National Award in Polar Sciences and Cryosphere in 2016 by the Government of India. He is also a recipient of Prof L S Ramaswami Award, Prof T C Anand Kumar Award and Prof N R Moudgal Award by Indian Society for the Study of Reproduction and Fertility for his contributions in area of conservation biology and reproductive biology in the years 2010, 2013 and 2014 respectively. He is a recipient of the first Carl Woese Memorial award, 2014, by the Association of Microbiologists of India. He has published 315 research papers and 2 books and has had several international collaborations.