Nobel laureate Ramakrishnan knighted in UK

Ramakrishnan,58,known to most as Venky,is based at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge.

He has been conferred knighthood for services to molecular biology in the New Year Honours List 2012,according to an official statement released Saturday.

Ramakrishnan said the knighthood reflected the contribution made by immigrants to British society.

In the current debate about immigration,it is worth noting that this award is yet another example of the numerous contributions that immigrants make to British society, Ramakrishnan said. Indeed,many of the founding members of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology were immigrants themselves,and they helped to revolutionise modern biology.