Migration in Science
Progress in science depends on a rapid exchange of ideas and exposure to new approaches and viewpoints. Historically, this progress has been accelerated by the movement of people. Scientists have been among the most mobile of people, going where they perceive the action to be. This talk will explore examples from various periods in history on how mobility resulted in scientific development. It will also describe the reasons behind the moves in my own peripatetic life.BiographyVenki Ramakrishnan received his bachelor’s degree in physics from Baroda University in India in 1971 and his Ph.D. in physics from Ohio University in 1976. He then studied biology for two years at the University of California, San Diego before beginning his postdoctoral work with Peter Moore at Yale University. After a long career in the US, he moved to England in 1999 to become a group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. He is also the current president of the Royal Society.Ramak