Honorary Chairman
Dr. Paruchuri Gangadhar Rao is a distinguished scientist and academician with a remarkable career in chemical engineering, applying it in the chemical, leather, pharmaceutical industries, with a passion for transferring the benefits of technology to society. Born on December 31, 1950, in Chitturpu village, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, he obtained his B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from REC (NIT), Warangal, in 1974, and his M.Tech in Chemical Plant Design from IIT, Madras, in 1976. He earned his Ph.D. from IIT, Madras, in 1995 in the area of Polymer Engineering.
Dr. Rao has held various prestigious positions, including Director at CSIR-NEIST and CSIR Distinguished Scientist in New Delhi. He has also served as Honorary Pro Chancellor at the University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya, where he was previously the Vice Chancellor.
Dr. Rao's significant scientific contributions include process development for chemicals, the design of chemical plants, and the modernization of leather industries. A significant number of technologies transferred under his leadership were commercialized, and the products reached society.
He has published 100 papers in peer-reviewed international journals, 35 in Indian journals, and has presented 70 papers at national and international seminars. He holds 21 patents, 3 copyrights, 2 books, and 10 book chapters to his credit. He has supervised the Ph.D theses of 10 scholars.
Dr. Rao is a Fellow of several prestigious institutions, including the Academy of International Union of Food Science & Technology, National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, the Institution of Engineers, the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Academy of Sciences, and the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, where he also served as President.