Baldev Raj, 71, Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), passed away on Saturday in Pune, Maharashtra, while attending a conference.

A recipient of the Padma Shri award, he took over as director of NIAS, Bengaluru, in 2014. He had also served as director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam.

Author of around 1,000 academic papers in peer reviewed journals and more than 70 books, the professor won more than 100 awards and assignments in more than 30 countries, according to a NIAS release.

He was also the recipient of the Life Time Achievement Award of the Indian Nuclear Society, the Homi Bhabha Gold Medal, and the Dr.Y. Nayudamma Memorial Award.

A member of the Circle of Advisors, University of Cambridge, and a member of the Search Group for the Queen Elizabeth Prize in Engineering, he was also a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the World Academy of Sciences.

He was also the chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Gandhinagar and a member of the court of JNU, New Delhi, the release added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru = January 06th, 2018