Venkatachalam “Ram” Ramaswamy Grew up in northern India in the 1960s and 1970s, and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Delhi, India. He came to the U.S. in 1977, first to Purdue University, then to SUNY-Albany in New York where he obtained his doctoral degree. He was a Fellow in the Advanced Study Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado prior to joining GFDL (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory in 1986, where he has been a director since 2008. Ram's research has focused on atmospheric physics and numerical modeling of the climate system, ranging from understanding of the mechanisms governing forcings and feedbacks in the system, to modeling climate variations and change due to greenhouse gases, aerosols and clouds. This has included the use of observations together with models to diagnose the roles of different factors in climate change. Ram has been a Coordinating Lead Author on the Third and Fourth Assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Ozone Assessments and Global Climate Research Program Assessments. He is a Fellow and a recipient of the American Meteorological Society's Henry Houghton Award, and is also a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. He has also received numerous other awards including the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Senior Professional and is a two-time recipient of the WMO Norbert-Gerbier MUMM International Award.