Bio
Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao is the Group Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani, overseeing its campuses in Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa, Dubai, and Mumbai. Before joining BITS in 2023, he served as Director of IIT Delhi (2016-2021) and was a Chair Professor at both IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay.
An internationally recognized Nanoelectronics researcher, Prof. Rao has over 500 research papers and 50 patents, including 20 US patents, with 15 licensed for commercialization. His IP on CMOS-SoC applications is used in hundreds of millions of ICs worldwide. He co-founded two deep-tech startups, Nanosniff and Soilsens, with successful commercial products.
Prof. Rao played a key role in establishing India’s major Nanoelectronics programs. He is a Fellow of IEEE, TWAS, INAE and all the three Indian science academies. He has supervised 52 Ph.D. graduates who are working in leading academic and industry roles globally.
Recognized with over 40 awards, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Infosys Prize, and IEEE EDS Education Award, he also holds three honorary doctorates. Prof. Rao serves on editorial boards of leading international journals and chairs national committees on education, research, and innovation, including the Boards of JNCASR and NIFTEM. He has delivered over 200 Plenary/Keynote talks worldwide.