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Rajagopalan Chidambaram | |
|---|---|
 Chidambaram at the 2008 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. | |
| 2nd Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India | |
| In office 2002–2018 | |
| President | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Pratibha Patil Pranab Mukherjee Ram Nath Kovind |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee Manmohan Singh Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam |
| Succeeded by | K. VijayRaghavan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 November 1936 Madras, Madras Province, British India (present-day Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) |
| Residence(s) | New Delhi, India |
| Alma mater | University of Madras, Indian Institute of Science |
| Known for | Nuclear weapons programme
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| Awards | Padma Shri (1975), Padma Vibhushan (1999) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Atomic Energy Commission (India) Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai Department of Atomic Energy International Atomic Energy Agency Defence Research and Development Organisation Indian Institute of Technology University of Hyderabad |
Rajagopala Chidambaram (born 11 November 1936) is an Indian Physicist who is known for his integral role in India's nuclear weapons program; he coordinated test preparation for the Pokhran-I (1975) and Pokhran-II (1998).[1]
Previously served as the principal scientific adviser to the federal Government of India, Chidambaram previously served as the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)— and later as chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of the Government of India and he contributed in providing national defence and energy security to India. Chidambaram was chairman of the board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during 1994–95. He was also a member of the Commission of Eminent Persons appointed by the Director-General, IAEA, in 2008 to prepare a report on "The Role of the IAEA to 2020 and Beyond".
Throughout his career, Chidambaram played a key role in developing India's nuclear weapons, being a part of the team conducting the first Indian nuclear test (Smiling Buddha) at Pokhran Test Range in 1974. He gained international fame when he led and represented the team of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) while observing and leading efforts to conduct the second nuclear tests in May 1998.
- ^ "Untitled Page". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 2 September 2022.