Yamuna Krishnan is an expert in biological nanotechnology, specifically studying new functions of DNA and exploring the use of DNA nanodevices. Krishnan aims to understand the structure and function of biological devices and to utilize nature's solutions in advancing science and engineering. Her research helped discover that DNA nanodevices could function inside a living cell. The team of researchers in Krishnan’s lab is working to gain a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of unusual forms of nucleic acids.
Krishnan has received numerous awards, including the Infosys Prize for Physical Sciences and the Bhatnagar Award for Chemical Sciences. In 2014, she was on the Journal Cell's list of "40 under 40" of young scientists shaping current and future trends in biology.