My mother, R. Rajalakshmi, taught at Annamalai University in Chidambaram, and during the day, I was well cared for by aunts and grandparents in the usual way of an extended Indian family. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan annamalaiauntcare Change image and share on social
If you go to a second-rate place, and you are first-rate, it is very difficult to do first-rate work because you do not get that critical feedback you need for first-rate work on a daily basis. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan basiscriticaldaily Change image and share on social
I started working on ribosomes when I was a post doc, in 1978, when it would have been impossible, really, to solve it. But, it was just a fundamental problem in biology. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan biologydocfundamental Change image and share on social
We live in an increasingly technological world where the issues are quite complex and based on some complicated science. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan basecomplexcomplicate Change image and share on social
Scientists are not movie stars or politicians who will feel insulted if they are not showered with accolades. Scientists are not interested in accolades. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan accoladefeelinsult Change image and share on social
Science today is a highly collaborative exercise, and to convert it into a contest, as the Nobel does, is a bad way to look at science. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan badcollaborativecontest Change image and share on social
I had an excellent math and physics teacher in high school named T.C. Patel, and in the university, I had truly dedicated professors in both physics and mathematics who gave me a sound foundation with which to pursue graduate studies. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan dedicateexcellentfoundation share on social
It's not about where you were born or where you come from that makes you a good scientist. What you need are good teachers, co-students, facilities. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan bearfacilitygood Change image and share on social
During the decade following the discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA, the problem of translation - namely, how genetic information is used to synthesize proteins - was a central topic in molecular biology. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan biologycentraldecade share on social
I began studying ribosomes as a postdoctoral fellow in Peter Moore's laboratory in 1978. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan beginfellowlaboratory Change image and share on social
