The Molecular Biophysics Unit (MBU) at the Indian Institute of Science was founded in 1971 by the distinguished biophysicist Prof. G. N. Ramachandran. The Unit is engaged in frontline research on contemporary Molecular Biophysics, Structural Biology, and Physiology.

The collective focus of research activities in the Unit incorporates integrative and state-of-the-art biophysical approaches to address fundamental biological questions.

The unit has pioneered biophysics research for over half a century now. During this period, several hundreds of young scientists have obtained their Ph.D. degrees and the number of research publications from the unit exceeds 1500. The outstanding accomplishments of the Unit's current members and alumni, spanning academia, administration, policy, and industry vouch for the excellence that the Unit has stood for and continues to stand for.