Ganugapati Sree Rama Subba Rao (born 21 August 1937) is an Indian natural product chemist and a former chair of the department of sciences at the

Indian Institute of Science The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a Public university, public, Deemed university, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The ...

(IISc). He is known for his researches on ''dihydroaromatics obtained through Birch reduction of aromatic compounds'' and is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, and the Indian Academy of Sciences. The

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR; IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada'') is a research and development (R&D) organisation in India to promote scientific, industrial and economic growth. Headquarter ...

, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1982, for his contributions to chemical sciences.

Biography

G. S. R. Subba Rao, born on 21 August 1937 in Kolavennu, in the south Indian state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

to Satyanarayana Ganugapati and Lakshmi, did his college studies at

Andhra University Andhra University is a public university located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established in 1926. It is graded as an A++ institution by NAAC receiving a score of 3.74 on a scale of 4. History King Vikram Deo Verma, the Mah ...

from where he graduated in chemistry in 1957 and followed it up with a master's degree in 1959. Subsequently, he enrolled for doctoral studies under the guidance of L. Ramachandra Row and secured the degree of Doctor of Science in 1962 and moved to

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

for his post-doctoral studies at the laboratory of Arthur J. Birch. He obtained a PhD in 1966 and completed his post doctoral studies at

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

. On his return to India in 1971, he joined the

as a member of faculty at the department of organic chemistry where he set up his research group and served as the dean of the faculty of science, eventually superannuating from academic duties as the chair of the department. He also serves as a director of Novosynth Research Labs and Bal Research Foundation, two entities involved in scientific research. Rao is married to Lakshmi Sita Valluri and the couple has two children, daughter, Rama and son, Krishna. The family lives in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

Legacy

Rao's early researches were focused on natural product chemistry and through his studies of the dihydroaromatics, he developed new protocols for synthesising aromatic compounds using Birch reduction. His contributions are reported in the synthesis of

steroids A steroid is an organic compound with four fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter mem ...

and polyketides as well as the studies of the ''mechanistic aspects of dissolving metal reductions''. His work has been documented by way of over 150 articles published in peer-reviewed journals and his writings have been cited by many authors. He has guided 28 doctoral scholars in their studies, has been associated with several journals as a member of their editorial boards and served as a council member of the Indian National Science Academy from 2001 to 2003.

Awards and honours

The

awarded Subba Rao the

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize Shanti or Shanthi may refer to: In Sanskrit * Inner peace, a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress * Kshanti, one of the paramitas of B ...

, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1982. He received the Sir C. V. Raman Award of the University Grants Commission of India in 1992 and the T. R. Seshadri 70th Birthday Commemoration Medal of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) in 1997. INSA honoured him again with the Senior Scientist Award in 2003 and the Golden Jubilee Commemoration Medal in 2004. In between, he received the Alumni Award for Excellence in Research in Science of the Indian Institute of Science in 1998. He is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Academy of Sciences and has delivered a number of award orations including the Professor Venkataraman Memorial Lecture of the National Chemical Laboratory.

Citations

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Selected bibliography

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Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, G. S. R. Subba Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Chemical Science 1937 births Scientists from Andhra Pradesh Living people Indian organic chemists Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy Andhra University alumni Alumni of the University of Manchester Australian National University alumni Academic staff of the Indian Institute of Science 20th-century Indian chemists Telugu people People from Krishna district