19 Facts About Rajagopala Chidambaram

Rajagopala Chidambaram was a member of the Commission of Eminent Persons appointed by the Director-General, IAEA, in 2008 to prepare a report on "The Role of the IAEA to 2020 and Beyond".

Rajagopala Chidambaram gained international fame when he led and represented the team of the Department of Atomic Energy while observing and leading efforts to conduct the second nuclear tests in May 1998.

Rajagopala Chidambaram was accepted for the doctoral programme of the Indian Institute of Science, and was awarded the PhD in 1962.

Rajagopala Chidambaram's thesis contained the research work on the development of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and was conferred with the Martin Forster Medal for the best doctoral thesis submitted to the Indian Institute of Science.

Rajagopala Chidambaram has been conferred doctoral degrees in physics by eight Indian universities.

Rajagopala Chidambaram laid the foundation of theoretical high-pressure research for calculation of equation of state and phase stability of materials by first principles techniques.

Rajagopala Chidambaram served as the director of the physics group initiating research on physical aspects of nuclear weapons.

In 1967, Rajagopala Chidambaram joined the nuclear weapon designing effort along with his fellow scientists in constructing and building the metallurgical and physical aspects of the nuclear weapons.

Rajagopala Chidambaram chose the implosion method and initiated research at BARC in very close interaction with the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation to achieve this.

Rajagopala Chidambaram assisted the Indian Army to construct a nuclear test site at long-constructed Indian Army base, Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan, Rajagopala Chidambaram was part of a team of scientists who participated in and supervised India's first nuclear test, codename Smiling Buddha, and was one of the scientists who were honoured by Indian Premier Indira Gandhi.

Upset by the secret manner in which the test was conducted, and given his instrumental role in the test, Rajagopala Chidambaram was not positively reciprocated when he approached the US for a visa to attend the 1998 annual conference of the International Union of Crystallography, of which was the vice-president, which was followed by his withdrawal of the visa application.

Dr R Chidambaram was Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory to the Cabinet of the Federal Government.

Rajagopala Chidambaram has focused on the importance of 'Directed Basic Research' as an addition to self-directed basic research.

Rajagopala Chidambaram is the recipient a number of awards and honours.

Rajagopala Chidambaram is a Fellow of all the science Academies in India and the Third World Academy of Science, Trieste.

Rajagopala Chidambaram has served as a member, chairman and president of a number of organizations which, among others, include IIT-Madras, IIT-Bombay, the Materials Research Society of India, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and the International Union of Crystallography.

In early 2008, the IAEA invited Rajagopala Chidambaram to be a member of the "Commission of Eminent Persons", for making recommendations to the Board of Governors, regarding long-term priorities and funding.

Rajagopala Chidambaram is Indian Fellow of Indian National Science Academy.

Dr Rajagopala Chidambaram is chairman of Board of Governance of IIT Jodhpur.