Prof V Rajaraman

• Honorary Professor – Supercomputer Education & Research Centre
  Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

Professor V Rajaraman obtained a BSc (Honours) in Physics from Delhi University (1952); a DIISC (1955) and AIISC in Electrical Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (1957); SM (Electrical Engineering) from MIT (1959); and PhD from the University of Wisconsin (1961).

Prof Rajaraman was an Assistant Professor of Statistics at the University of Wisconsin (1961-62) and joined the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur as an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering in 1963. Between 1965-66, Prof Rajaraman was a visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and a visiting IBM Research Fellow at the Systems Development Institute, Canberra, Australia, in 1972-73. He became a Senior Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at IIT Kanpur in 1973 and headed the Computer Centre at the institution from 1967-72 and again from 1976-79.

While at IIT Kanpur, Prof Rajaraman initiated the Computer Science programme and guided its growth from 1966 to 1979. He joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in 1982 where he initiated the plan to set up a National Supercomputing facility in 1983. It was set up with a funding of Rs50 crore from the Government of India.

Prof Rajaraman also set up the National Centre of Science Information with funding from the University Grants Commission (UGC) for providing selective dissemination of information to scientists at Indian Universities. Other activities he initiated at the Institute of Science include Computer Aided Design of Electronic Systems and Knowledge Based Computer System Development.

Prof Rajaraman was an IBM Research Professor of Information Technology at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru from 1994 to 2001. Currently, he is Honorary Professor in Supercomputer Education & Research Centre at IISc.

Prof Rajaraman has guided 30 PhD students in Computer Science, published over 60 technical papers in reputed journals and is the author of sixteen books in Computer Science. His current interests are in the design of information systems and development of computer-based self-study material in information technology.

Prof Rajaraman pioneered computer science education and research in India, in recognition of which, he was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1976 and the fellowship of the Computer Society of India in 1981. He has been an active consultant to industry. He was a member of the Electronics Commission , Government of India, from 1979-1982. During his tenure as Chairman of Manpower Committee, Prof Rajaraman initiated a plan to increase the human resources available in IT by proposing a Master of Computer Applications (MCA) programme, which was then a unique programme in India. He also initiated plans to encourage software export by allowing the import of mainframe computers.

Prof Rajaraman was Director of CMC Ltd., from 1990 to 1995 and Director of Canbank Computer Services Ltd., Bengaluru, from 1995-2000. He chaired the All India Board on Information Technology of AICTE from 1993-2003. He is on the board of directors of Encore Software Limited and Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management of Kerala.

Prof Rajaraman is a member of the investment advisory committee of Kerala Venture Capital Fund Ltd., a division of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation. He is also IT advisor to the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. His responsibilities there include advice on campus computer networking and IT curriculum to Management students.

Prof Rajaraman is a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Academy of Engineering and Computer Society of India, and the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers.