Venkatraman Ramakrishnan is an Indian-American structural biologist known for his work on the structure and function of ribosomes, the molecular machines that synthesize proteins in cells. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009, sharing the honor with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada E. Yonath for their contributions to understanding ribosomal structure. Born on July 17, 1952, in Vadalur, India, Ramakrishnan completed his undergraduate studies at University of Madras and earned his Ph.D. from Ohio University. He has held prominent positions, including serving as the president of the Royal Society from 2015 to 2020, promoting scientific research and education.