Ramya is a student at Columbia University studying Earth & Environmental and Engineering and Sustainable Development. Her interests lie in energy and water technologies for the developing world. She is a coordinator for Engineers Without Borders and is working on implementing a hydro-powered energy system for one of the poorest villages in India. In Summer 2007, Ramya traveled to the village for 8 weeks and worked with the villagers for infrastructure development.

She has also been working on a novel technique to speed up reactions converting carbon dioxide into mineral carbonates, which could potentially improve carbon capture and sequestration techniques.