Sivaraj Ramseshan (10 October 1923 – 29 December 2003) was an Indian scientist known for his work in the field of crystallography. Ramaseshan served as director of the

Indian Institute of Science The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a Public university, public, Deemed university, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The ...

and was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

. Ramaseshan is the nephew of Indian scientist and Nobel laureate Sir C. V. Raman and cousin of Subramanyan Chandrasekhar.

Early life

Ramaseshan was born in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

on 10 October 1923, to (sister of C. V. Raman) and . He had his schooling in Nagpur and started his forays into science as a research student under his uncle, Sir C. V. Raman.

Scientific career

On completion of his doctorate, Ramaseshan joined the Indian Institute of Science as a lecturer. During this time, he developed an interest in

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science of determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to Diffraction, diffract in specific directions. By measuring th ...

and was instrumental in improving the material science division in the National Aerospace Laboratories. Ramaseshan also taught as a professor in the

Indian Institute of Technology The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) are a network of engineering and technology institutions in India. Established in 1950, they are under the purview of the Ministry of Education of the Indian Government and are governed by the Instit ...

Positions held

In 1979, Ramaseshan was appointed joint-director of the Indian Institute of Science and in 1981 became its director. He served as the director of IISc from 1981 to 1984, as president of the Indian Academy of Sciences (1983–1985), and honorary distinguished professor emeritus at the Raman Research Institute (1984–2003).

Awards

In 1966, Ramaseshan was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award. This was followed by the Vasvik Award in 1980 and the INSA Aryabhata Medal in 1985. Ramaseshan is also a recipient of the Padma Bhushan.

Publications

Ramaseshan co-authored a biography of his uncle, C. V. Raman, with Raman himself and also edited two collections of Raman's writings.

Death

Ramaseshan died on 29 December 2003, weeks after his 80th birthday. He was survived by his wife, Kausalya, who was a great-granddaughter of

V. S. Srinivasa Sastri Valangaiman Sankaranarayana Srinivasa Sastri (22 September 1869 – 17 April 1946) was an Indian politician, administrator, educator, orator and Indian independence activist. He was acclaimed for his oratory and command over the English langua ...

, and by three daughters.

References

External links

1056.pdf , apr252004 , currsci , Indian Academy of Sciences

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramaseshan, S. 1923 births 2003 deaths Directors of the Indian Institute of Science Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Indian crystallographers Chandrasekhar family Scientists from Chennai 20th-century Indian physicists