V. Ramakrishnan is a prominent Indian-American biologist known for his significant contributions to the field of molecular biology. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 for his work on the structure and function of the ribosome, a complex molecular machine essential for protein synthesis in all living cells. Ramakrishnan was born on July 26, 1952, in Pudukkottai, India. He completed his undergraduate studies at Tiruchirappalli and later earned his Ph.D. from Ohio University. He has held various academic positions, including at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and University of California, San Diego.