C N R Rao

Chintamani Nagesa Ramchandra Rao was born on 30^th June, 1934 to Hanumantha Nagesa and Nagamma in Bangalore. After his B.Sc from Mysore University, he got a master’s degree from Benaras Hindu University in 1953. He earned his PhD from Purdue University where he worked under Noble Laureate H.C. Brown on solid state chemistry. He studied the structure and phenomena in solids at microscopic level using sophisticated tools of spectroscopy in his own lab at the university.  Totally new types of solids with entirely new properties useful for the industries could be created because of his researches.

In 1958, he joined the University of California at Berkeley as a research chemist. He started his career back in India as a lecturer at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1959. He served as a professor of chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur from 1963-76 and as head of chemistry department from 1964-68. He was back at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 1976-84 as the chairman of solid state and structural Chemistry unit and materials research laboratory. From then onwards, he has been the Director of the institute of science. He was visiting professor at Purdue University in 1967-68, at Oxford University in 1974-75, and at Cambridge University in 1983.

Professor Rao’s prolific researches in solid state and Materials Chemistry places him as one of the topmost figures on the subject. His works on transition metal oxides have shown an unusual promise in room temperature superconductivity and magneto resistance, he published three books namely ‘chemical and Structural aspects of high temperature Superconductors’ in 1988, Bismuth and Thalium Cuprate Superconductors’ in 1989 and Chemistry of High Temperature Superconductors’ in 1991.

Rao received honorary doctorates from many Universities. Some of them are- Purdue University in 1982, Bordeaux University in 1983, and Wroclaw University in 1989.

He received Padma Vibhushan Award from president of India in 1985.

Even at the age of seventy two, he is working on nano-materials.

Prof. Rao says: “thought our generation might not see the fruits of Nanotechnology, I have been pursuing this. I want India to be in the forefront of nano-sciences.”