Ramachandra Hosmane
Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
2009-2012 Presidential Teaching Professor

Ramachandra “Ram” Hosmane, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has distinguished himself as a gifted teacher and mentor to students.

Hosmane has taught thousands of students in both undergraduate and graduate courses in organic chemistry. In his time at UMBC, he has graduated 12 Ph.D. and six M.S. students, trained more than 100 undergraduate research assistants and supervised 19 post-doctoral associates.

Students gravitate toward Hosmane’s teaching style of using humor, approachability and clarity of presentation. Students appreciate his ability to use humorous anecdotes based on his experiences in the field, as they bring the subject matter to life and make it easier for students to remember information in detail. Hosmane’s Student Course Evaluation Questionnaires (SCEQs) scores are always at the top of the department and far exceed the mean.

In In recent years, Hosmane has developed four courses, revised two and is using Web-enabled technology extensively to improve the communication with his students. His Introduction to Biomedicinal Chemistry, a senior/graduate level course, attracts more than 80 chemistry, biochemistry, biological sciences and pre-med majors each time it is offered. He also mentors students and alumni in several UMBC programs.

Hosmane’s teaching style is a result of his well-defined knowledge and research. His work on the design and synthesis of novel therapeutics targeted to cancer and viral diseases shows great promise as is his work on artificial blood based on cell-free hemoglobins.

He was the UMBC Presidential Research Professor from 1998-2001 and was honored as the Maryland Chemist of the Year by the American Chemical Society, Maryland Section in 2002. He received the Outstanding Educator of the Year in 2000 from the Maryland Association from Higher Education (MAHE). His lifetime extramural grant awards have totaled in excess of $10-million, and his research has been recognized by the support of multiple federal, state and private granting agencies.

Two of his inventions have been licensed for commercialization. Hosmane published more than 130 peer-reviewed publications and has given more than 140 professional presentations. He is the regional editor for Molecules and a guest editor for two other journals. He is a grant reviewer for all the major funding agencies and serves as a reviewer for numerous prestigious journals.

Hosmane earned his B.Sc. in and M.Sc. in Chemistry from Karnataka University in India. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Bioorganic/Medicinal Chemistry from the University of South Florida, Tampa.