Santanam Kasturi received his B.S. degree in physics from the University of Madras in 1979, his Masters of Technology degree from Mangalore University in 1993, and is currently pursuing his doctorate at Northern Illinois University.

He has specialized in the field of the Remote Sensing of Oceans, as pertaining to the retrieval of Physical Oceanographic parameters such as winds, waves, and sea surface temperatures, and in this capacity, has held positions in the Physical Oceanography Division of the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa and National Institute of Ocean Technology,  IIT Campus, Chennai.

Since 1999, he has additionally held a number of positions in the information technology field. During his time at Illinois Wesleyan, Santanam has coordinated general physics labs and has taught courses in electronics and computer organization.