In 1997, "Newsweek" included him on a list of one hundred "personalities whose creativity or talent or brains or leadership will make a difference in the years ahead." In 2008, "Foreign Policy" included Ramachandran as one of its "World’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals." Similarly, in 2011, "Time" listed Ramachandran as one of "the most influential people in the world" on the "Time 100 list". Both the "Time" and the "Prospect" selections were decided by public voting on a longer list of names proposed by the organization.