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From decoding the genetic code to pioneering welfare economics, Indian-origin scholars have left a global mark on science and economics
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Their education and achievements
Indian-origin researchers and economists have made historic contributions that earned them the Nobel Prize, shaping our understanding of biology, physics, chemistry, and economic development. Here’s a look at five Indian-origin Nobel laureates in the US, their academic journey, and their Nobel-winning work, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
These Nobel laureates demonstrate the global impact of Indian-origin scholars who combined education in India and abroad with groundbreaking research and innovation.
- Har Gobind Khorana (1968, Physiology or Medicine): Khorana, born in British India, decoded the genetic code and studied protein synthesis, earning the 1968 Nobel Prize alongside Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley. He completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s at Punjab University, Lahore, and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Liverpool. After research at Cambridge, he joined the University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty and became a US citizen in 1966.
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1983, Physics): Chandrasekhar made groundbreaking contributions to stellar structure, including the Chandrasekhar limit for white dwarfs. Born in 1910, he studied at Presidency College, Madras, earned a Ph.D. from Cambridge, and spent most of his career at the University of Chicago. He won the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics with William A. Fowler for theoretical studies on star evolution.
- Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (2009, Chemistry): Ramakrishnan, born in 1952, elucidated the structure and function of the ribosome. He earned a Physics degree from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, a Ph.D. from Ohio University, and conducted postdoctoral research at UC San Diego and Yale. In 2009, he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada Yonath and later served as President of the Royal Society (2015–2020).
- Abhijit Banerjee (2019, Economics): Banerjee received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his experimental approach to reducing global poverty. He studied Economics at Presidency College, Calcutta, earned an M.A. at JNU, New Delhi, and a Ph.D. at Harvard University. Banerjee is a professor at MIT and co-founder of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).
- Amartya Sen (1998, Economics): Sen was awarded the 1998 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for pioneering work in welfare economics, social choice theory, and development economics. Born in 1933, he studied at Presidency College, Calcutta, earned a Bachelor’s and Ph.D. from Trinity College, Cambridge, and also studied at Harvard. He is currently Thomas W. Lamont University Professor at Harvard University.
These Indian-origin Nobel laureates illustrate how rigorous education combined with innovative research can create transformative impact in science and economics worldwide.
