Dr. A. Suryachandra Rao
Area of Expertise: Climate Variability, Prediction, High Performance Computing

Dr. A. Suryachandra Rao was appointed Director of IITM, Pune, effective 2^nd June 2025. Before his appointment as Director, he served the institute in various capacities. He joined IITM in 2008, progressing from Scientist-E to Scientist-G, subsequently serving as Project Director, Monsoon Mission and HPC. In April 2025, he was appointed Acting Director.

His early research career began at the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, where he served as a Junior and a Senior Research Fellow. Between 1998 and 2007, Dr. Rao held various research appointments internationally, including as a Senior Research Officer at the Institute of Marine Affairs, Trinidad & Tobago, and as a Post-doctoral followed by Research Scientist at the Frontier Research System for Global Change (FRSGC) in Tokyo, Japan. During this period, he was also engaged as a part-time researcher with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, contributing to advanced modeling frameworks relevant to climate simulations.

Dr. Rao completed his undergraduate studies in Physics at Andhra University in 1988, followed by an M.Sc. in Physical Oceanography (1991) and an M.Tech. in Atmospheric Sciences (1994). He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography in 1998 from Andhra University and was awarded the University Gold Medal.

With over three decades of research experience, Dr. Rao is a leading expert in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. His work has significantly advanced the understanding of climate dynamics, ocean-atmosphere interactions, and tropical climate variability—particularly the Indian monsoon. At IITM, he has played a pivotal role in the development of high-resolution coupled climate models. He has been instrumental in strengthening India’s operational forecasting capabilities through the Monsoon Mission. His research has led to practical forecast applications in agriculture, hydrology, and disaster risk reduction. A dedicated mentor, he has guided several Ph.D. scholars and early-career scientists, fostering the next generation of climate researchers.

Dr. Rao has received numerous honors in recognition of his scientific contributions. Recognitions include the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam HPC Award (2020) for advancing coupled ocean-atmosphere models and establishing high-performance computing systems for climate modeling, Certificate of Merit by MoES (2010), Frontier Research Center Award (2005), IITM 25th Silver Jubilee Award (2013), and inclusion in the top 1% most-cited scientists by Thomson Scientific.

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