IGCAR : Annual Report - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research

of AERB as a member of several safety committees and Advisory Committee for Code, Guides and manuals
for safety in design for nuclear power plants. He was Head, Reactor Control Division and Associate
Director, Automation and Manufacturing Group, BARC before joining NPCIL.
Shri. G. Vaidyanathan, graduated in Engineering from Delhi University in 1971
and joined IGCAR in 1972 after completion of one year orientation course in
BARC Training School. Later he acquired a Post Graduate Degree in Operation
Management. Presently he is an Outstanding Scientist and Heads the Fast
Reactor Technology Group at IGCAR as Group Director. Since 1972, he has been
actively involved in the field of Fast reactor design, analysis and experiments. He
has made significant contributions to numerical simulation of heat transfer and
fluid flow processes in sodium cooled fast reactors. He has meticulously planned
and carried out R&D for the thermal hydraulics of Fast Reactors. He has also contributed
significantly as member of the IGCAR safety committee. He was instrumental in setting up the
Steam Generator Test Facility at IGCAR with minimal cost and time overrun. He has to his credit about 175
publications in journals/conferences and has co-authored one book.
Dr. P.R. Vasudeva Rao, is a Distinguished Scientist and presently Director of
Chemistry Group as well as Metallurgy and Materials Group in IGCAR. He
obtained his Doctorate degree in Inorganic Chemistry from Bombay University
in 1979. He has played an active role in shaping the Radiochemistry Programme
of IGCAR to its current status. His research interests cover a wide range of areas
such as development of alternate extractants and resins for actinide recovery
solvent extraction, third phase formation, thermodynamics, applications of photochemistry
in actinide separations, development of pyrochemical and other
non-aqueous processes for recovery of actinides and rare earths, thermochemical
studies on nuclear materials, application of microwaves in synthesis of nuclear fuels and other ceramic
materials, nuclear fuel cycle, fuel behaviour in reactors, burn-up measurements, and non-destructive
assay. He has published more than 150 papers in reputed international journals apart from guiding several
research scholars for their doctorate degrees. He is a life member of Indian Nuclear Society, Materials
Research Society of India, Society for Advancement of Electrochemical Science and Technology, Indian
Association of Nuclear Chemists and Allied Scientists (IANCAS), and President of the Southern Regional
Chapter - IANCAS. He has been awarded the MRSI Medal in 1998 and is also a Fellow of Tamil Nadu
Academy of Sciences. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Nuclear
Materials
Dr. V. Venugopal, M.Sc.,Ph.D, is presently an Outstanding Scientist and the
Director of Radiochemistry and Isotope Group at BARC, Mumbai, and Officer-incharge,
Nuclear Material Accounting and Control (NUMAC) cell of DAE. He is currently
a member of Standing Advisory Group for Safeguard Implementation
(SAGSI) to advice Director General IAEA on Safeguards Matters. He is a specialist
in the field of thermal/ thermodynamics of plutonium based fuels at high temperature,
chemical quality control of fuel, X-ray and solid state chemistry and
oversees Radioisotope and Radiation Technology Programs at BARC. He is the
chairman of Radiation Technology and Applications Committee (RTAC) of BRNS
and a member of BRIT board. He is a member of safety committees such as OPSRC and CFSRC under BSC
at BARC. He has to his credit more than 300 publications out of which 165 are published in reputed international
journals. Widely acclaimed as an expert in the area of thermodynamics, Dr. Venugopal is the
President of Indian Thermal Analysis Society (ITAS) and vice president and editor, INS news of Indian
Nuclear Society (INS). He is also a member of several professional bodies IANCAS, NAARRI, ISAS, ISEAS,
ISMAS, MRSI and Hindi Vigyan Parishad. He has received many awards including the Netzsch-ITAS award
in 2001, ISCAS silver medal in 2002 and MRSI medal for 2003-04 and INS award for 2005.
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