Paranandi V. S. Rao

Pioneer in speech recognition research, Rao was an active researcher in Computer Science from 1955 onward and made many contributions to the area of computer synthesis and recognition of human speech.

Professor Rao has authored over fifty original research papers in international professional journals and has presented over fifty papers in international conferences. Rao also wrote popular articles, delivered radio talks, and appeared on national and regional television programmes on scientific subjects. He has been a leading member of many Computer and Electronics Associations and Committees in India and abroad.

He is the recipient of the Padma Shri (1987) from the President of India — comparable to a Knighthood in the UK — and many other coveted awards in the area of Computer Science and Electronics.

Rao received the Millennium Medal of IEEE in the year 2000. He has served as Regional Distinguished Visitor of the IEEE Computer Society for Region 10 (Japan and South East Asia) for 1981–82. He has also served as Chairman of the IEEE India Council. Professor Rao retired as Senior Professor and Head of the Computer Systems and Communications Group at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay.

He has also been named a Distinguished Fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers in 1997. Rao was in charge of Air Defense Ground Environment Systems (ADGES) and Army Radio Engineering Network (AREN), two prestigious projects of national interest, and is the winner of the VASVIK Industrial Research Award.