Prof. Arunachalam- Profile Essay

Founder and Chairman, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Engineering and Public Policy, Materials Science and Engineering and the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and an Honorary Professor in the School of Engineering, University of Warwick, UK. At CSTEP he is concentrating on emerging technologies in Energy, Infrastructure, security and advanced materials. He is developing strategies for Karnataka in power sector reforms, renewable sources of energy and technologies for anti-terrorism. Dr. Arunachalam is a metallurgist by training and has worked at the Indian R&D laboratories for more than three decades of which for over a decade, he served ten Defence ministers and five Prime ministers of India, including Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Mr. Narasimha Rao, as their Defence Scientific Advisor and Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development. He initiated and headed for many years India’s major defence projects such as Light Combat Aircraft and Integrated Guided Missiles programmes. Dr. Arunachalam advised the Indian government on the definition, assessment and review of a number of major technological and societal programmes such as optical fiber communications for India, electric power issues, scientific and technological missions for the country to eradicate illiteracy, infant mortality and other deprivations, and graduate education in Engineering. He was a key member in a number of policy initiatives of the government. He is a recipient of numerous honours and awards including Padma Vibhushan, the highest civilian award for that year from the President of India, Padma Bhushan and SS Bhatnagar Prize for Engineering Sciences. He is also the first Indian to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, U.K. He was the past President and Fellow of Indian National Academy of Engineering, Indian Institute of Metals and a Fellow of Indian National Science Academy and Indian Academy of Sciences. Recently, The Indian National Academy of Engineering conferred him with the Life Time Contribution Award in Engineering.