C. N. R. Rao
Solid-state and materials chemist, Bharat Ratna
- Age
- 92 yrs
- Birthday in 244 days
- Works listed
- 0
- Career highlights
- Honours
- 4
- Most recent 2014
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C. N. R. Rao is a chemist known for research in solid-state and materials chemistry, with well over a thousand research papers. He founded the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and became the third scientist to receive the Bharat Ratna, in 2014.
Biography
Education
Rao grew up in Bangalore, studied at Mysore and Banaras Hindu University and earned a PhD at Purdue University in the United States in 1958. He returned to India and taught at the Indian Institute of Science and IIT Kanpur.
Materials chemistry
He became one of the world’s leading researchers in solid-state chemistry, studying how the structure of materials such as metal oxides relates to their properties — from superconductivity and magnetism to, later, graphene and other nanomaterials.
Institution builder
Rao was director of the Indian Institute of Science from 1984 to 1994 and founded the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore in 1989. He chaired the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister under several governments.
Honours
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of many foreign academies. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 1985 and in 2014 became the third scientist, after C. V. Raman and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, to receive the Bharat Ratna.
Timeline
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1934
Born in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore (now Bengaluru, Karnataka)
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1958
PhD at Purdue
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1982
Fellow of the Royal Society
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1984
Director of the Indian Institute of Science
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1985
Padma Vibhushan
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1989
Founds JNCASR
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2005
Dan David Prize
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2014
Bharat Ratna
Awards and honours
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Fellow of the Royal Society
1982
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Padma Vibhushan
1985
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Dan David Prize
2005
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Bharat Ratna
2014
Did you know?
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1
He was the third scientist to receive the Bharat Ratna.
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2
He has published well over a thousand research papers.
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3
He has chaired the Prime Minister’s science advisory council.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is C. N. R. Rao?
C. N. R. Rao is a chemist known for research in solid-state and materials chemistry, with well over a thousand research papers. He founded the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and became the third scientist to receive the Bharat Ratna, in 2014.
How old is C. N. R. Rao?
C. N. R. Rao is 92 years old, born on 30 June 1934 in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore (now Bengaluru, Karnataka).
Where is C. N. R. Rao from?
C. N. R. Rao was born in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore (now Bengaluru, Karnataka).
What is C. N. R. Rao known for?
C. N. R. Rao is best known for Solid-state and materials chemistry; founding JNCASR; Bharat Ratna 2014.
What awards has C. N. R. Rao received?
Notable honours include Fellow of the Royal Society (1982), Padma Vibhushan (1985), Dan David Prize (2005), Bharat Ratna (2014).
References
- C. N. R. Rao — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- C. N. R. Rao — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- Official website. www.jncasr.ac.in. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
- C. N. R. Rao (Q1248892) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “C. N. R. Rao”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
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About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 27 October 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“C. N. R. Rao.” TrackFame, last updated 28 October 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/c-n-r-rao
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