Ram Hariharan
Associate Teaching Professor and Associate Director of MGEN Operations, Seattle,
Multidisciplinary Graduate Engineering Programs
Contact
- r.hariharan@northeastern.edu
- 401 Terry Ave N, Suite 103
Seattle, WA 98109
Office
- 206.467.5480
About
Ramkumar “Ram” Hariharan is the Director of Programs for the College of Engineering and Data Science Faculty at Northeastern University, based in Seattle, WA. In this role, in addition to building AI products, Hariharan teaches “experiential” data science to Master’s students using real-world business case studies.
Before NU, Ram led the Applied Artificial Intelligence team at MACRO-EYES, Inc (now Pendulum Systems, Inc), a venture-backed tech company supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His work there built on his experience as a senior data scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Originally from India, Ram focus is on AI applications in healthcare usually at the nexus of stakeholders and business leadership. He has extensive experience creating AI applications and been an active part of a Google, Inc collaborative project at the Institute for Systems Biology and the University of Washington, Seattle.
Ram’s awards include the British Council Exchange Program award, a Young Scientist Award from the Government of India, and invitations to review grants for the Governments of Poland and Hong Kong. He has been a visiting scientist to RIKEN, Japan, and collaborated with the University of Oxford, UK, and the A* Bioinformatics Institute in Singapore.
Ram is also a science and technology communicator with published work as a freelance columnist for The Hindu, India’s second-largest national daily. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, watching Chuck Lorre sitcoms, and exploring local gastronomy.
Education
- PhD, Computational biology statistical modeling and simulation of biophysical data, machine learning, University of Kerala, Kerala, India, 2008
Selected Publications
- Hariharan Ramkumar, Hood Leroy, Price Nathan D., A data-driven approach to improve wellness and reduce recurrence in cancer survivors, Frontiers in Oncology, 14, 2024
Mar 19, 2025
MS Students Build Tech Skills at AI Immersion Week
A group of 28 graduate students from Northeastern’s Seattle campus visited the university’s Silicon Valley campus and vice versa for AI Immersion week held during spring break. Students attended workshops, industry panels, and a hackathon.
Aug 05, 2024
The Anti-Aging Effects of Rapamycin on Humans
MGEN Associate Teaching Professor Ram Hariharan says rapamycin, which has been shown to extend the lifespan of mice, flies, worms, yeast, has the potential to be among the first generation of anti-aging drugs for humans.
Jun 10, 2024
Taking a Healthy Lifestyle One Step at a Time
MGEN Associate Teaching Professor Ram Hariharan debunks the myth of a magic number of steps people need to take each day to stay healthy. He says the true benchmark that people should be setting depends on individual health and fitness goals.
Jun 05, 2024
Investigating the Effectiveness of the Longevity Movement
MGEN Associate Teaching Professor Ram Hariharan says the science of longevity is far more complex than much of the anti-aging marketing would suggest. As human clinical trials haven’t yielded definitive results, Hariharan advises sticking to simple and traditional recommendations for longevity.
Apr 11, 2024
Exploring Data-Driven Approach to Cancer Survivors
MGEN Associate Teaching Professor Ram Hariharan’s research, “A Data-driven Approach To Improve Wellness and Reduce Recurrence in Cancer Survivors,” was published in Frontiers in Oncology.
Mar 08, 2024
Using Machine Learning To Predict Cancer Treatment Response
Ram Hariharan, an associate teaching professor and director of engineering programs in Seattle, discusses how he is developing machine learning tools to predict responses to cancer immunotherapy and democratize access to these treatments.
Oct 04, 2023
AI Impact: Claims It Could Lead to Shorter Work Week, Extended Lifespan
Ram Hariharan, an associate teaching professor and associate director of program management in Seattle, was featured in The National Desk article “AI Impact: Claims It Could Lead to Shorter Work […]
May 16, 2023
Can AI Help Scientists Slow the Aging Process?
Ramkumar Hariharan, a senior scientist at the Institute for Experiential AI, is developing the Artificial Intelligence Longevity Toolbox (AI-LOT) to assist biologists in understanding their data when it comes to aging.
Aug 12, 2022
Using Deep Learning To Customize Cancer Treatment
Ram Hariharan, an associate teaching professor and associate director of program management in Seattle, is using deep learning techniques to sift through a ton of medical data to find which […]