He has previously worked at several academic institutions including the College of Engineering in Guindy, Madras, India; the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa and the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands. In the past, Professor Ponnambalam has been the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies in the Systems Design Engineering department at University of Waterloo.
In addition to systems theory and optimization, his research interests include design optimization under uncertainty, mainly pertaining to issues in civil, chemical, electrical and environmental engineering. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the many applications, much of his work has been done in collaboration with colleagues from both within and outside the university. Professor Ponnambalam is currently working in the Application of AI to hydrology and water resources, price predictions, health decision making, and sustainable development.