Veerabhadran Ramanathan education and academic career: How a Chennai-born student influenced climate science and earned the Crafoord Prize

Veerabhadran Ramanathan. (Photo Credit: IISc Bangalore)

Veerabhadran Ramanathan, the Indian-origin climate scientist whose work reshaped understanding of global warming, has been awarded the Crafoord Prize in Geosciences, often described as the Nobel of geosciences. The recognition places renewed attention on a career built steadily through education, research and teaching across continents.Now 81 and based in California, Ramanathan has spent decades in academic and research institutions, linking atmospheric science with public policy and education. According to CNN, the award acknowledges contributions that changed how scientists understand greenhouse gases beyond carbon dioxide and how those insights entered global climate action.Early education shaped by adaptationRamanathan was born in Chennai and moved to Bengaluru as a child. He has said that studying in English rather than his native Tamil forced independence early on, explaining that he “lost the habit of listening to my teachers and had to figure out things on my own”, as quoted in biographical accounts. He completed his engineering degree at Annamalai University and later earned a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Science.In his twenties, he moved to the U.S. for higher studies, enrolling at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Initially focused on interferometry, his doctoral path shifted when his supervisor redirected research towards planetary atmospheres, setting the course for a lifelong engagement with climate science.Career built through research institutionsRamanathan’s early professional work included a role at a refrigeration company, where he checked cooling gases for leaks. According to CNN, this practical exposure laid the groundwork for later scientific questions about the atmospheric impact of industrial chemicals.While working at NASA’s Langley Research Center, he conducted independent research that led to a landmark Science paper in 1975. His findings showed that chlorofluorocarbons could trap heat far more effectively than carbon dioxide, a result that challenged prevailing assumptions, as noted in the journal Science.Academic leadership and teachingRamanathan later joined the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, where he became Professor Emeritus and held the Edward A. Frieman Endowed Presidential Chair in Climate Sustainability. He also served as an adjunct professor in Cornell University’s Department of Global Development.His academic work extended into large international projects, including the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment and the Indian Ocean Experiment, which trained students and early-career researchers alongside generating data. According to institutional profiles, he now chairs the University of California’s Bending the Curve education initiative, focused on climate solutions.Advisory roles and global recognitionBeyond universities, Ramanathan became a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and advised Pope Francis on climate issues. Vatican sources note that his scientific input influenced the encyclical Laudato si’. Reflecting on climate education, he has written that the impact of greenhouse gases is “the most important environmental issue facing the world today”, as stated in his published work.His career, spanning education, research and mentorship, is now capped by the Crafoord Prize, awarded for 2026, recognising a lifetime devoted to climate science.