RAMANATHAN RAM

Professor Ram Ramanathan is a distinguished atmospheric and climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, holding the Edward A. Frieman Endowed Presidential Chair. His groundbreaking work includes discovering the greenhouse effect of CFCs in 1975, which informed the Montreal Protocol, and predicting global warming detection by 2000. He leads Project Surya to mitigate climate impacts from biomass cooking, advises Pope Francis’s delegation, and chairs climate resilience initiatives like CRC2. His research spans aerosols, clouds, ocean-atmosphere interactions, and climate policy.

Education:

• B.S., Annamalai University, India
• M.S., Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
• Ph.D., State University of New York

Research Interests: Atmospheric Brown Clouds, climate solutions, air-sea interactions, and interdisciplinary partnerships. His work emphasizes bridging science, policy, and community action to address climate change.

Key Contributions: Pioneered climate mitigation strategies, co-founded the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and designed transdisciplinary climate education programs. His 2015 Vatican summit advisory role underscores his global influence.

Awards:

• Tyler Prize (2009)
• U.N. Climate Champion (2013)
• Tang Laureate (2018)
• Elected to U.S. National Academy & Royal Swedish Academy

Advising & Grants: Mentored students like Jen Burney and Steve Sherwood. Leads UC-wide climate initiatives and chairs the California Collaborative for Climate Solutions.

Labs/Teams: Ramanathan Lab, CRC2 Climate Resilience Project, and transdisciplinary teams addressing climate literacy and equity.