VP of research Ramesh steps down

By Noa Berz     4/1/25 10:24pm

Ramamoorthy Ramesh will step down from his role as executive vice president for research at the end of this academic year, President Reggie DesRoches announced in an email to the Rice community March 18. 

Ramesh has overseen both internal and external research ventures at Rice. He was recruited in 2022 to become Rice’s inaugural pick for the role as a part of President DesRoches’ efforts to strengthen the university’s research enterprise, and he will return to the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley next fall. 

A search committee led by Dean of Engineering and Computing Luay Nakhleh has been assembled to recruit Rice’s next head of research, according to the email. 

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During his time at Rice, Ramesh saw research funding growth double from 2023 to 2024, and he played a crucial role in forging research partnerships with universities in India and France, the email said.

Carlos Garcia, the associate vice president for research operations and administration, said that Ramesh’s contributions to research at Rice have set the university up for future success. 

“Ramesh has been an inspirational leader,” Garcia wrote in an email to the Thresher. “He always pushed the office of research to go big and not be afraid to make mistakes.”

In addition to several new research institutes and centers, Ramesh created the Offices of Research Integrity and Sponsored Projects, which helped streamline the university’s processes in compliance with federal research regulations, Garcia said.

Ramesh’s departure comes amid threats from the federal government to cut research and other funding from several U.S. universities, including Rice. However, Ramesh said research itself may not be directly under attack, and he’s worked to find ways to compromise with the federal government amid increased restrictions.

“I believe we’re seeing a reset of expectations, priorities and business practices,” Ramesh wrote in an email to the Thresher. “We have been communicating with internal constituents such as faculty and external constituents such as Congress. We have also been helping faculty to not react too strongly to such external perturbations. Instead, we are working with them to identify pathways to broaden the research funding base and look for uncommon funding sources.”

Ramesh succeeded Yousif Shamoo, who served as vice provost for research for eight years, and Doug Natelson, who served on an interim basis from June 2022 until Ramesh started in August. 

Ramesh also held roles as a professor of materials science and nanoengineering and of physics and astronomy at Rice. In December 2022, he was elected as a National Academy of Inventors Fellow, a status considered to be the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors in the United States. 

Ramesh received two bachelor’s degrees from Madras University in Chennai, India and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore before attending UC Berkeley for his master’s degree and doctorate. 

Ramesh said he credits much of his success as a professor and researcher to his unique educational background.

“My Ph.D. work at Berkeley taught me the fundamentals of focusing on exploring the state-of-the-art research questions,” Ramesh wrote. “I have endeavored to bring that ethos to Rice.”

Garcia said he’ll miss working alongside Ramesh next year. 

“The Office of Research will miss his infectious laughter and the ability to simplify complex issues into strategic simple solutions,” Garcia wrote. “We will all miss his endless analogies for any situation to make a point!”

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