Institutions IIT Madras | ||
Born 15 September 1941 (age 75) ( 1941-09-15 ) Fields Materials science and catalysis Alma mater IIT Madras
St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli Known for catalysis and material science | ||
Balasubramanian Viswanathan also known as BV, is a highly accomplished Indian material scientist, an emeritus professor at IIT Madras and husband of late Vijayalakshmi Viswanathan, the first woman financial commissioner of Indian Railways. He is well known in the field of catalysis and material science and has been instrumental in setting up and running the first National Centre for Catalysis Research at IIT Madras. He has authored more than 30 books with top publishers including Springer Publishing, John Wiley & Sons, Elsevier, covering various aspects of material science, catalysis, nanotechnology, Energy, Fuel cells, CO2 reduction and has published more than 600 scientific journals. He is considered to be an authority on catalysis and material science in the scientific world.
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Early life and education
B.Viswanthan was born in a small village located at the South of India called Kuthanoor in Tanjore district in Tamil Nadu State, India. He received Bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry from St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli India (1958–1964).He earned his PhD degree at IIT Madras, India in 1969. He is married to Late Vijayalakshmi Viswanathan and has a son who is a faculty member in the department of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, United States.
Research career
Prof. B.V joined Indian Institute of Technology, Madras as an associate lecturer in the Chemistry department and moved the ladder to a full professor in 1990. In addition to full teaching and research activities, he held various key administrative positions like the head of Materials Research Centre for two terms, Head of the Department of Chemistry, 2001–2003, Secretary to Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), Dean of students (1998–2001), Chairman of the Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination(IIT-JEE) organizing committee. He has been member of many scientific committees appointed by the government of India in the Department of Science and Technology (India) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).