Dr Vijay Rajagopal is an expert in computational physiology, he creates anatomically and physiologically realistic computational models of biological systems (sometimes called digital twins). He uses these models to test scientific hypotheses about how biological systems work and applies them in clinical and pharmaceutical applications for translational impact.

A fundamental focus of Dr. Rajagopal's group is about developing models to uncover how living cells work.
Living cells are the building blocks of multi-cellular organ systems of the human body. Therefore, living cells are a major focus of understanding how the human body functions and how human health is affected by disease. While there has been an explosion in technologies for measuring many properties of cells, understanding how these properties affect cell and organ physiology is non-trivial. This is because of the complex interplay between different electrical, chemical and mechanical processes that govern cell shape and cell function. At the University of Melbourne, Dr. Rajagopal's multidisciplinary team of computer scientists, applied mathematicians and engineers uncover fundamental principles about how living cells work by combining computational physiology with AI and collaborating with internationally leading experts in the medical and biological sciences. While the team's primary application focus is on heart disease, they have transferred experiences and technologies to other areas including red blood cell disorders and cancer.