Baldev Raj

Baldev Raj is an Indian scientist and former director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam, India. He is currently the director of National Institute of Advanced Studies.

He has Bachelors in Engineering (B.E.) from Govt. Engineering College (Now National Institute of Technology, Raipur), Ravishankar University and PhD from IISc, Bangalore, D.Sc. (h.c.) from Sathyabama Deemed University, Chennai.

Science and Technology, Fast Breeder Reactor with Closed Fuel Cycle, Materials characterisation, Testing and Evaluation using nondestructive evaluation methodologies, Materials development and performance assessment and technology management.

The author of more than 1300 academic papers in peer-reviewed journals, he has to his credit, more than 80 books and over 100 articles in encyclopedia and handbooks in addition to patents, standards etc. He is Editor-in-Chief of three series of books and Editor of several reputed national and international journals and publications.

Raj has been recognised by way of more than 100 awards and 400 honoursin more than 30 countries. A recipient of the Padma Shri award; the other honours include Homi Bhabha Life Time Achievement Award of the Indian Nuclear Society, National Metallurgist Award by Ministry of Steel, the Homi Bhabha Gold Medal from Prime Minister of India, Brahma Prakash Medal from Indian National Science Academy, Distinguished Materials Science Award, Materials Research Society of India, etc. He is a recipient of Vasvik Award, Om Prakash Bhasin Award and H K Firodia Award. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

A member of the Circle of Advisors, Cambridge University, UK, and a member of the Search Group for the Queen Elizabeth prize in engineering, Selection Committee Global Energy Prize (both are being nurtured to stature of Nobel Prize in Sciences). Dr Baldev Raj is also a Fellow of all the four Science and Engineering academies in India, Indian Social Sciences Academy, International Medical Sciences Academy, German Academy of Sciences and the World Academy of Sciences, International Nuclear Science Academy, Academia NDT International, etc. He was past President of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS). He was the chairman of the board of Governors of IIT Gandhinagar & NIT, Puducherry, two new Nationally Important Institutes for higher education in engineering created through constitutional approval of the Indian Parliament. He is member of the Court of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. He is Honorary Consul General of Michigan State University. He is Honorary Member, IIM, ICNDT, British Institute of NDT, ISNT, etc. He has been the Past President, Indian Institute of Metals, International Committee on NDT, International Institute of Welding., Indian National Academy of Engineering, Indian Society of NDT, Indian Institute of Welding, etc. He has been alternate Chairman of Senior Advisory Group of Nuclear Energy (IAEA, Vienna) and Chairman of Apex Committee of Nuclear Energy Systems (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), India). He is chairman and Member of Research Councils of some of the most eminent national research laboratories and Institutes of India.