Advisory Board
Aerospace Science
Nambi Narayanan
Padma Bhushan · Former ISRO scientist, cryogenics division
A mechanical engineering graduate of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, he joined ISRO in 1966 at the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station. Sent to Princeton on government deputation in 1969, he studied chemical rocket propulsion under Professor Luigi Crocco and returned with the liquid-propulsion expertise that shaped India’s rocketry programme. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2019.
Mathematics
Sujatha Ramdorai
Padma Shri · Professor of Mathematics & Canada Research Chair, UBC
An algebraic number theorist working in Iwasawa theory, she earned her PhD at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research under Raman Parimala and later served as a TIFR professor. She has sat on the Prime Minister’s Scientific Advisory Council and the National Innovation Council, and in 2006 became the first Indian to win the ICTP Ramanujan Prize. She received the Padma Shri in 2023.
Philosophy & Sanskrit Studies
Dr. D. P. Anantha
Former Vice-Chancellor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati
Holding a PhD in Philosophy, Dr. Anantha has spent more than 25 years in religious, social and educational service, including board positions at Karnataka Sanskrit University and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. His work has centred on promoting Sanskrit education and cultural heritage, alongside a long-standing patronage of chess.
Complex Systems
Dr. Nithin Nagaraj
Professor & Head, NIAS Complex Systems Programme
With degrees from NIT Karnataka, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a PhD from the National Institute of Advanced Studies, he has held research positions at GE Global Research, IISER-Pune and Amrita University. His work spans brain-inspired machine learning, chaos and information theory, and the complexity of consciousness. He holds several patents and is a Senior Member of the IEEE.
Spine Surgery
Dr. Raghavendra Rao D.
Consultant Spine Surgeon, Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital
A graduate of Bangalore Medical College with an MS in Orthopedics, he trained as a fellow of spine surgery under Dr. Daniel Chopin at Institut Calot, France. Since 2016 he has led a spine centre performing around 800 surgeries a year, drawing patients from across the state and beyond. He is a member of the Association of Spine Surgeons of India.
Applied Mathematics
Basavaraj Umarani
Performance Engineering Specialist, Indian Development Foundation
Visually impaired since birth, Basavaraj discovered a gift for mathematics at the age of eight and can calculate large sums and identify the weekday of any date between 1900 and 2100 without aid. Alongside more than a decade of IT experience in performance engineering, he has been recognised with numerous local, state and national honours for his calculating ability.
