Alap Raman Subramanian

We deeply mourn the passing of Dr. Alap Raman Subramanian, who passed away peacefully on November 14th, at the age of 90.

Born to Alapuzha Raman and Ponni in Kerala, India, Dr. Subramanian graduated from the prestigious Government Victoria College, Palakkad with high distinction. He pursued his postgraduate studies at Presidency College, Madras, where he secured First Rank and was awarded the Gold Medal. He began his scientific career at India’s Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET), and later moved to the United States to pursue his doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. While there, he met and eventually married Rita Mitra, who was working on her Ph.D. in Mass Communications.

Dr. Subramanian authored numerous scholarly books in biochemical sciences and published groundbreaking research papers in the field of molecular genetics that significantly advanced the understanding of chloroplast ribosomal proteins. His more than 80 publications have over 3000 citations to date, and he worked at and was affiliated with several renowned institutions, including: Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the University of Arizona. His legacy as a scientist, mentor, and pioneer will continue to inspire generations. Outside of work, his passions included gardening and hiking.

Dr. Subramanian was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 40 years Rita, and younger son Ranjan (Ronnie), and is survived by his elder son Suman, and Ron’s family: daughter-in-law Manisha and grandsons Arun and Kiran.

A private funeral will be held in Phoenix, followed by a memorial in Tucson at a later date to be announced separately.