Dr. G. N. Ramachandran was a pioneering Indian biophysicist who founded the Molecular Biophysics Unit at IISc. Trained under Sir C. V. Raman at Cambridge, he became an expert in X-ray crystallography and molecular modeling. He is best known for creating the Ramachandran Plot, a fundamental tool in protein structure analysis, and for proposing the triple-helical structure of collagen. A Fellow of the Royal Society, he is remembered as one of India’s foremost scientists in structural biology.
Dr. T. Ramasami is a leading Indian materials scientist known for advancing leather technology and shaping national science policy. After completing his PhD at the University of Leeds, he became an expert in tanning chemistry and eco-friendly leather processing at the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), later serving as its Director and modernizing the industry. He went on to serve as Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), where he strengthened India’s research and innovation landscape. A recipient of the Padma Shri and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, he is recognized for both scientific excellence and national leadership.
Dr. M. Suresh Babu, a development economist, is the Director of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS). He earned his PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University and previously served as Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. His work spans industrial economics, competition, trade, and productivity in Indian manufacturing. He has also served as Advisor to the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India and as a member of Tamil Nadu’s high-level committee on post-COVID economic revival. As Director of MIDS, he combines academic and policy experience to guide research on labour markets, regional development, and industrial transformation.