Prof. V Ramgopal Rao — CEO
Prof. Ramgopal Rao is the Group Vice Chancellor of BITS Pilani, one of India’s leading universities, with campuses in Pilani, Goa, Hyderabad, Dubai, and Mumbai. Founded in 1964, BITS Pilani is recognised as an Institution of Eminence and is known globally for its academic programmes, merit driven admissions, and a strong culture of entrepreneurship. Before joining BITS, Prof. Rao spent over 25 years in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) system. He began his academic career at IIT Bombay, where he taught and conducted research for nearly two decades, and later served as the Director of IIT Delhi from 2016 to 2021. He also held multiple Chair Professor positions at both institutions. During this phase, he worked closely with students, alumni, industry, and government to strengthen research capacity, institutional governance, global engagement, and long term philanthropic support. Prof. Rao’s academic training and research span more than three decades in nanoelectronics and nanoscale devices. He has authored over 500 research publications and holds more than 50 patents, including over 20 issued US patents. Fifteen of these patents have been licensed to industry, and the underlying intellectual property from his work on CMOS system on chip technologies is today used in hundreds of millions of integrated circuits worldwide. He has also co founded two deep technology startups, NanoSniff and SoilSens, which successfully translated academic research into deployed products. His work has been recognised through several national and international honours, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, the Infosys Prize, and the IEEE EDS S. M. Sze Education Award. Prof. Rao is a Fellow of IEEE, The World Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and all three major Indian science academies (IASc, INSA, NASI). He currently serves as Vice President of the Indian Academy of Sciences. He has delivered more than 200 plenary and keynote lectures globally and serves on the editorial boards of leading international journals. Prof. Rao’s journey began in a Telugu medium school in a small town called Kollapur in Telangana. He earned his doctoral degree in Germany, spent time at UCLA, and returned to India to pursue a life dedicated to teaching, research, and institution building. Prof. Rao remains deeply committed to strengthening universities, advancing science and technology, enabling translation from laboratory to society, and creating opportunities for young people to learn, lead, and build with purpose.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in academia and technology innovation, specializing in nanoelectronics and entrepreneurship.
Location: Pilani, Rajasthan, India
Experience: 29 yrs 1 mo
Career Highlights
- Over 500 research publications authored.
- Holds more than 50 patents, including 20 US patents.
- Co-founded two successful deep technology startups.
Work Experience
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Govt of India
Chairman of the Working Group on Electronics Materials & Nanotechnology (5 mos)
Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO)
Chairman of Advisory Committees for Next-Gen Display Devices Project (1 yr)
NITI Aayog
Member of NITI Frontier Technology Hub Expert Council (1 yr)
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
Member of Academic Council (1 yr 1 mo)
Confederation of Indian Industry
Co-Chair of the CII Industry-Academia Partnership Forum (1 yr 2 mos)
Indian Academy of Sciences
Vice President (1 yr 3 mos)
International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) Hyderabad
Chairman of the Technical Advisory Group for Centre for Nanomaterials (CNM), ARCI. (1 yr 4 mos)
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Advisory Board Member of CSIR (2 yrs 8 mos)
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Govt of India
Chairman of Expert Committee on Waste-to-Wealth standardization (8 mos)
Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone Limited
Board Member (Director) (2 yrs 10 mos)
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
Group Vice-Chancellor for BITS Pilani Campuses (Pilani | Dubai | Goa | Hyderabad | Mumbai) (3 yrs 1 mo)
PIEDS : Pilani Innovation & Entrepreneurship Development Society, BITS Pilani
President (3 yrs 1 mo)
JBM AUTO LIMITED
Independent Director (3 yrs 3 mos)
National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS)
Chairman of Scientific Advisory Committee (2 yrs 11 mos)
National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM)
Chairman of the Board of Governors (2 yrs 11 mos)
National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPER) Council
Council Member (2 yrs 11 mos)
Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) of DRDO
Chairman of the Research Council (2 yrs 11 mos)
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi
Pillay Chair Professor (8 mos)
Professor (4 mos)
Director (~University President) (5 yrs 10 mos)
Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology (Fast) India
Distinguished Fellow (3 yrs 9 mos)
Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education
Chairman of Reforms Committee - AP Engineering Agriculture & Pharmacy Common Entrance Examination (9 mos)
Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR)
Chairman of the Council of Management (Board of Governors) (3 yrs 11 mos)
Department of Science and Technology - Govt of India
Chairman of the Committee FIST-DST for PG Colleges (2 yrs)
Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India
Chairman, Expert Group on Academia-Industry Interaction and Academia-Technology Translation (1 yr 1 mo)
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Chairman of the Working Group on Nanotechnology (3 yrs 9 mos)
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Chairman Committee on Enhancing Employability Skills/ Industry readiness (2 mos)
Chairman of the Coordination Committee for the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship Scheme (2 yrs 11 mos)
Shriram Scientific & Industrial Research Foundation
Member of Board of Governors (5 yrs 3 mos)
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
Chairman, Expert Committee to Review Charter of DRDO Labs (9 mos)
Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE)
Chairman of Delhi Chapter - Indian National Academy of Engineering Delhi Chapter (4 yrs 2 mos)
Department of Science and Technology Govt of India
Chairman, Expert Advisory Group on Biomedical Device and Technology Development Programme (2 yrs 5 mos)
Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL)
Chairman of the Research Council (2 yrs 11 mos)
Department of Science and Technology
Chairman, Nano Applications and Technology Advisory Group (NATAG) Nano Mission, Govt. of India (3 yrs 11 mos)
Center for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS)
Chairman of the Governing Body (3 yrs 11 mos)
Department of Science & Technology Govt of India
Chairman, Prime Minister's Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral Research (CII, DST and FICCI) (2 yrs 11 mos)
CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation
Chairman of the Research Council (3 yrs 11 mos)
Govt of Karnataka
Member of the Vision Group for Nanotechnology chaired by Prof. CNR Rao (10 yrs 7 mos)
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
P.K.Kelkar Chair Professor for Nanotechnology (1 yr 3 mos)
Institute Chair Professor (3 yrs 11 mos)
Professor (6 yrs)
Associate Professor (4 yrs)
Assistant Professor (3 yrs)
Universities in over a dozen countries abroad
Short term visiting positions (10 yrs 4 mos)
University of California at Los Angeles
Post Doctoral Fellow (1 yr 7 mos)
Education
Doctorate in Engineering (Dr.-Ing) at Universitat der Bundeswehr Munich, Germany
Post-doctoral Fellow at UCLA
M.Tech at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
B. Tech at Kakatiya University
Intermediate (11th and 12th) (Telugu medium) at Govt RID Junior College Kollapur (Telangana) (Telugu medium)
1-10th standard at Govt Upper Primary School Kollapur (Telangana) (Telugu medium)
