Ramakrishnan 2011 Recipient FAMU Emerging Researcher Award
Subramanian Ramakrishnan, a assistant professor in chemical and biomedical engineering, was one of five FAMU faculty researchers recognized for "research excellence with caring" at the 2011 Florida A&M University Principal Investigator Appreciation and Researcher of the Year Awards luncheon, Friday, April 22nd.
Ramakrishnan's research group focus is on understanding the physics, chemistry and the processing of complex fluids (colloids, proteins, polymers and other "soft materials") with the aim of producing useful materials for engineering applications and addressing the fundamental questions that arise in assembling them into useful structures.
There are three key areas to Ramakrishnan's research, the processing of cellulosic suspensions for production of biofuels and high value end products, the processing of colloidal suspensions for productions of gels and ultrafiltration membranes and the processing of protein suspensions with a main aim of understanding the relationship between protein aggregation and pathology to provide a cure for diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Starting with a modest package of $60,000, Ramakrishnan has raised an additional $1,007,096.00, which has funded various facilities in his research laboratory, and allowed him to recruit students interested in research (2 graduate and 13 undergraduates.) These facilities will play a significant role in his research success, along with key collaborations with researchers at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and in the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. To date, Ramakrishnan has published ten (10) papers in distinguished journals involving contributions conducted entirely or substantially at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
Ultimately, Ramakrishnan wants his research efforts to be instrumental in building an internationally recognized program at Florida A&M University, addressing emerging topics in the area of complex fluids, such as processing of cellulosic suspensions for production of biofuels, and to play a significant role in the education of undergraduate and graduate students.
A favorite saying explains his philosophy, "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, you will be successful." Ramakrishnan continues, "I am always fascinated and intrigued by the wonders of science –the why and how certain things happen. It is a joy to spend a career asking such science questions and to communicate my enthusiasm to talented students and in the process help them develop skills critical to their success."
Congratulations to Ramakrishnan on his 2011 FAMU Emerging Researcher Award.
