Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

Awarded for

Studies of the structure and function of the ribosome

Shared with: Thomas A. Steitz, Ada E. Yonath

The story behind the prize

Ribosomes are the cell's 'protein factories', reading genetic instructions to build proteins. Using X-ray crystallography, the three laureates mapped the ribosome atom by atom. Their work helps in designing new antibiotics, many of which work by blocking bacterial ribosomes.

About

Structural biologist born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, who worked at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge.

Exam facts

• Later served as President of the Royal Society (2015–2020)