Thursday
22
January 2026
4:30 - 6:00 PM IST
Location
Room 004, School of Arts and Sciences
Central Campus
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The Engineered Century: AI, Biology, and the Future of How we Eat, Live, and Work
Arts and Sciences Lecture Series
Ramaswamy Subramanian
Gerald and Edna Mann Director
Bindley Center for Bioscience
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Purdue University
Speaker
The talk will focus on how combining AI with industrial biotechnology is transforming the life sciences from observation to designing and building. AI is now a key tool for designing molecules, proteins, and entire pathways using data. Researchers are shifting from operators to orchestrators in self-running laboratories. These systems use workflows that mine the literature, generate hypotheses, and guide robots to accelerate discovery (from years to months). AI not only helps in healthcare by reducing risks in drug discovery and clinical trials, but it is also changing the bio-economy. We'll look at how AI helps understand food and use engineered microbes for eco-friendly manufacturing. This new era requires "Bio-AI-Hybrid" scientists who prioritise scientific processes and ethics over manual tasks. As we progress toward human-guided autonomous science, we must develop ethical and policy guidelines for a future in which biology can be programmed. How we educate students, conduct research, and handle data now are crucial to staying ahead.
Speaker
Ramaswamy Subramanian
Professor Ramaswamy (“Ram S”) Subramanian is an academic leader, structural biologist, and serial entrepreneur with over three decades of experience spanning Sweden, United States and India. He currently serves as the Gerald and Edna Mann Director of the Bindley Bioscience Center at Purdue University, where he leads major life sciences research infrastructure and strategic integration across campus. Previously, Professor Subramanian was the Founding Dean of the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) in Bangalore and co-founder & first CEO of C-CAMP, India’s most successful life science incubator. Under his leadership, both institutions became internationally recognised hubs for interdisciplinary research and innovation. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers with an h-index >50, established India’s first national cryo-EM facility, and founded multiple startups. He is a Fellow of AAAS and the Electron Microscopy Society of India. Professor Subramanian is widely respected for building sustainable scientific institutions, fostering academia–industry partnerships, and mentoring future leaders.
