Atom Sarkar was born in Calcutta, India and raised in New York City. His initial interest in science and medicine stem from his father's profession as a biophysicist. He recalls spending part of his early days in kindergarten and the other part in his father's lab. At the time his major accomplishment resided in the belief that he could construct an electron microscope, like the one his father utilized, out of tin cans. Later, while in high school, more tangible science goals were realized and culminated in becoming a nationally recognized Westinghouse Science Scholar.

While attending Brown University (Providence, RI) as an undergraduate, summers were spent investigating issues related to viral oncology at various institutions including the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research (Bern, Switzerland), the Rockefeller University (New York, NY), and the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). He received his MD/PhD degrees from the University of Miami School of Medicine (Miami, FL).

His PhD dissertation was conducted in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, with a focus on molecular neuroscience. This work culminated in cloning and characterizing neuropeptide receptors from the brain, and earned research distinction from the Graduate School. It was at Miami that an interest in neurosurgery was galvanized. Dr. Sarkar completed a fellowship at Columbia University (New York, NY) where single molecule mechanics, nanotechnology, and instrument design were the focus of his post-doctoral work. This post-doctoral fellowship was performed while in the midst of his neurosurgical residency at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN). He has completed his yearlong chief residency in Neurological Surgery and is now on the faculty of the Ohio State University Department of Neurological Surgery as an Assistant Professor and Director of Neurological Nanomedicine. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

His clinical interests lie in a diverse arena, and include tumors of the brain and spine, γ -knife stereotactic radiosurgery, functional neurosurgery, as well as complex spinal instrumentation. The role of nanotechnology in neurosurgery and neurological disease is central to his research. His research interests include nanotechnology, single molecule force spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), single molecule fluorescence, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, and polymer physics of biomolecules.