The Department of Zoology, affiliated to the ManonmaniamSundaranar University, Tirunelveli has been upgraded as a Research Department offering MPhil from 1985 and PhD from 1996.
Presently there are thirteen faculty members with doctoral titles. Retired Professors Dr. S. Godwin Wesley and Dr. S. Sam Manohar Das have Emeritus Professorship and continuing with their research.
The ManonmaniamSundaranar University has recognized nine of the faculty as research guides. The Department has a well-equipped laboratory which is recognized by the ManonmaniamSundaranar University. The principal areas of research undertaken by the faculty members include aquaculture, entomology, sericulture, biodiversity, environmental biotechnology, toxicology, limnology, bioremediation, cytogenetics, bio- informatics, radiation biology and biological control. The Department is provided with ICT facility for better research references.
The faculty has recently published more than 75 research papers in reputed national and international journals. The Department has produced 400 pre doctoral scholars and 107 Ph. D scholars so far. Presently, there are 24 full time scholars and 5 part-time scholars pursing their doctoral degrees.
The Department has received total grant worth two crore six lakh fifty seven thousand six hundred from various funding agencies like UGC, AIACHE, DOD and BRNS. The Department has the unique distinction of receiving grants from UGC during all the plan periods in recognition of the research done and the research papers published by the faculty.