Patcha Ramachandra Rao

Patcha Ramachandra Rao was a distinguished Indian metallurgist and administrator who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) from 2002 to 2005. He was also the Director of the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur from 1992 to 2002 and the first Vice-Chancellor of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) from 2005 to 2007. He was born on March 21, 1942 in Kavutavaram, a village in Andhra Pradesh. His father was a government servant and his mother was an educated woman who encouraged him to pursue education. He completed his schooling at home and then joined Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada for intermediate studies. He obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in physics from Osmania University in Hyderabad and then his B.E. degree in metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore. He moved to Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for his doctoral studies under the guidance of T.R. Anantharaman, a pioneer of metallurgical engineering in India. He obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in metallurgical engineering from BHU in 1968. He then joined the faculty of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at BHU and worked there until 1992. His research interests spanned various areas of metallurgy, material science and engineering, such as phase transformations, thermodynamics, kinetics, alloy design, powder metallurgy, magnetic materials, superconductors, nanomaterials, and biomaterials. He published over 300 papers in reputed journals and held over 120 patents. He also supervised many students and postdocs who became eminent scientists and engineers. He was appointed as the Director of the National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), Jamshedpur in 1992 and served there for ten years. He transformed NML into a centre of excellence for research and development in metallurgy and materials. He also initiated several collaborative projects with industry and academia. He became the Vice-Chancellor of BHU in 2002 and served there for three years. He introduced several reforms and initiatives to improve the academic standards, infrastructure, research facilities, and student welfare at BHU. He also promoted the use of information technology and e-learning at BHU. He retired from BHU in 2005 and took charge as the first Vice-Chancellor of DIAT, a deemed university under the Ministry of Defence. He established DIAT as a premier institution for education and research in defence technology and related fields. He was a Raja Ramanna Fellow at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad from 2007 until his death in 2010. He continued his research activities at ARCI and also mentored young scientists. He was honoured with many awards and recognitions for his contributions to science and technology. He received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1985, the National Metallurgist Award in 2004, the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Gold Medal from INSA in 2005, and many other awards from various scientific societies and institutions. He was also elected as a Fellow of several academies such as the Indian National Science Academy, the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Third World Academy of Sciences. He died on January 10, 2010 in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. He was cremated with full state honors. He is remembered as a visionary leader, a pioneer metallurgist, and a great patriot who dedicated his life to the service of science and society.