C.N.R. Rao obtained his Ph.D. from Purdue University and D.Sc. from Mysore University as well as 53 honorary doctorate degrees from various universities. C.N.R. Rao is National Research Professor & Linus Pauling Research Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Science. His main research interests are in solid state and materials chemistry including nanomaterials. He is a member of numerous science academies worldwide and has received many national and international honors. In particular, he is the recipient of the Dan David Prize as well as the Illy Trieste Science Prize for Materials research besides the August von Wilhelm Hoffmann medal from the German Chemical Society. He has published over 1400 research papers and 45 books.
A.K. Sood is Professor in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He holds the prestigious Bhatnagar Chair of CSIR and is currently the President of the Indian Academy of Sciences. His research interests include physics of nano-systems like nanotubes and graphene and physics of soft condensed matter. He has published more than 300 papers in refereed international journals and holds a few international patents. His work has been recognized by way of many honors and awards. These include Fellowships of The Indian National Science Academy, The National Academy of Sciences, India and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize and National Award in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology by The Department of Science and Technology of India.