Ritu Raman

Dr. Ritu Raman is an engineer, innovator, writer, and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. She leads a research lab at MIT that studies biofabrication: the discipline of building with living biological materials. She has been recognized by many prestigious honors for scientific innovation including being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and the MIT Technology Review 35 Under 35 list. Dr. Raman received her B.S. magna cum laude in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in Biomedical Engineering, from Cornell University. She was awarded a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering as a National Science Foundation Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to her faculty appointment, she was a postdoctoral fellow with the renowned Prof. Robert Langer, funded by a Ford Foundation Fellowship by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and a L'Oréal USA For Women in Science Fellowship. Dr. Raman's upbringing in the United States, India, and Kenya taught her to appreciate and thrive in diverse and dynamic environments. She believes technical innovation can drive positive social change, and this inspires her to help democratize and diversify STEM education and entrepreneurship around the world, especially for young women.