E.C. Subbarao

E.C. Subbarao was born in Narsapur, Andhra Pradesh, in 1928. He was educated in a school located in a remote village without electricity. An excellent student, he went on to do his BSc Tech degree from Banaras Hindu University, a Master's degree from the University of Washington and a PhD from Pennsylvania State University. He worked as a research engineer in Westinghouse Research Laboratories, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1956 to 1963, establishing his research credentials. When Subbarao decided to return to India for the second phase of his career, he joined the newly started Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, in 1963 in his first teaching position. He was a professor at IITK till 1981. He was the first department head of metallurgical engineering, the first dean of faculties, and established the Interdisciplinary Centre for Materials Science. A key player in the transformation of IIT Kanpur into a world-class institution, Subbarao contributed to the intellectual, administrative and international aspects of this process. Subbarao's research and academic achievements in materials science, as embodied in his several books and papers in high-impact journals, are recognized by fellowships of the three academies of science and engineering in India. In recognition of his outstanding contributions, IIT Kanpur conferred its first Honorary Fellowship on Subbarao in 2006. In 1981, Subbarao became the founder-director of Tata Research Development and Design Centre, Pune, a division of Tata Consultancy Services, set up to apply science and technology for the benefit of Indian industry and people. The 'Spirit of IITK' helped him in building this first institution of its kind.