Indian-origin scientist wins prestigious Crafoord Prize in geosciences
Veerabhadran Ramanathan, an Indian-origin scientist from UC San Diego, has bagged the 2026 Crafoord Prize in Geosciences—one of the top honors in science—with a cash award of about $900,000.
He's being celebrated for his game-changing research on how certain pollutants, like aerosols and CFCs, affect our climate and the air we breathe.
Ramanathan's groundbreaking research reshapes global climate policies
Ramanathan's work showed that CFCs trap heat way more than carbon dioxide—a discovery that helped shape global agreements like the Montreal Protocol.
He also led studies revealing how "brown clouds" from pollution over South Asia are linked to weaker monsoons and melting Himalayan glaciers.
His research keeps shaping major climate policies worldwide, making him a real force behind efforts to protect our planet.