RajanBabu received his B. Sc (Special) from Kerala University in 1969 and M. Sc. degree from The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT, Madras) in 1971.  He obtained his Ph. D. from The Ohio State University in 1979 working with Professor Harold Shechter, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University with Professor R. B. Woodward from 1978 to 1979. Notable work during his postdoctoral career includes the total synthesis of erythromycin. RajanBabu was a Member of Research Staff and Research Fellow at DuPont Central Research from 1980 to 1994 until joining the Ohio State University faculty as a Professor of Chemistry in 1995.