Nobel laureate Venky Ramakrishnan honored with UK’s ‘Order of Merit’

London, 12 November (Agency) Indian-origin Nobel laureate Professor Venky Ramakrishnan has been awarded the prestigious ‘Order of Merit’ by King Charles III of Britain for his contribution in the field of science. The 70-year-old molecular biologist, who lives in the UK, was among six people named by Queen Elizabeth II in a historic order before she died in September. The ‘Order of Merit’ is a special honor given by the British Queen or Maharaja. Buckingham Palace said on Friday evening, ‘The King is pleased to confer the Order of Merit on six individuals. In this connection, appointments have been made for making special contribution in the promotion of armed forces, science, art, literature or culture. Buckingham Palace said, ‘These individuals were selected in early September.’ Professor Venky was born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu and studied science in the US before moving to the UK. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009.