Venki Ramakrishnan
Structural biologist and Nobel laureate who mapped the ribosome
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- Most recent 2012
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Venki Ramakrishnan is an Indian-born British-American structural biologist who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for revealing the structure of the ribosome, the cell’s protein factory. He was President of the Royal Society from 2015 to 2020.
Biography
From physics to biology
Ramakrishnan grew up in Vadodara, Gujarat, where his father taught biochemistry. He studied physics at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and earned a PhD in physics at Ohio University, then retrained as a biologist at the University of California, San Diego.
The ribosome
Working in the United States and then at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England, his team used X-ray crystallography to determine the atomic structure of the small subunit of the ribosome in 2000, showing how it reads genetic instructions and how some antibiotics block it.
Nobel Prize
He shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2010 and was knighted in 2012.
Royal Society and writing
From 2015 to 2020 he was President of the Royal Society, the first person of Indian origin in the role. He has written the memoir Gene Machine (2018) and Why We Die (2024), a book on the science of ageing.
Timeline
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1976
PhD in physics, Ohio University
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2000
Structure of the ribosome’s small subunit
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2009
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
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2010
Padma Vibhushan
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2012
Knighted
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2015
President of the Royal Society
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2018
Publishes Gene Machine
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2024
Publishes Why We Die
Notable works
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2018
Gene Machine Book
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2024
Why We Die Book
Awards and honours
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Nobel Prize in Chemistry
2009 · Shared with Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath.
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Padma Vibhushan
2010
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Knight Bachelor
2012
Did you know?
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1
He trained as a physicist before switching to biology.
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2
He was the first person of Indian origin to lead the Royal Society.
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3
His 2024 book explores why organisms age and die.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Venki Ramakrishnan?
Venki Ramakrishnan is an Indian-born British-American structural biologist who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for revealing the structure of the ribosome, the cell’s protein factory. He was President of the Royal Society from 2015 to 2020.
Where is Venki Ramakrishnan from?
Venki Ramakrishnan was born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu.
What is Venki Ramakrishnan known for?
Venki Ramakrishnan is best known for The atomic structure of the ribosome; Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009; President of the Royal Society.
What awards has Venki Ramakrishnan received?
Notable honours include Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2009), Padma Vibhushan (2010), Knight Bachelor (2012).
References
- Venki Ramakrishnan — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Venki Ramakrishnan — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Venki Ramakrishnan — Nobel Prize facts. NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Venki Ramakrishnan — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Official website. www.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Venki Ramakrishnan (Q60061) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Venki Ramakrishnan”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
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About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Venki Ramakrishnan.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/venki-ramakrishnan
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