Bengaluru: Prof. M.R. Satyanarayana Rao (75), Padma Shri awardee and former President of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), passed away at his residence in Tata Nagar, Bengaluru last night.

Prof. Rao is survived by his mother, wife and two sons. His demise was attributed to a sudden cardiac arrest.

Born in Mysuru, Prof. Rao completed his under-graduate and post-graduate studies at Bangalore University. He pursued his Ph.D at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) and conducted post-doctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA.

His scholarly focus revolved around the realms of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Throughout his extensive professional journey, Prof. Rao held roles such as Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Chairman of the Centre for Genetic Engineering and the Department of Biochemistry at IISc.

He also contributed as a Visiting Professor at Harvard Medical School and as a Visiting Scientist at Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of California, San Diego, USA.

Within the premises of JNCASR, he made significant contributions to the Chromatin Biology Laboratory. His tenure spanned a decade as the President of JNCASR from 2003 to 2013. Subsequently, he continued his association with the institute as an Honorary Professor. Notably, he also served as a member of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission from 2014 to 2017.

Prof. Rao garnered recognition through several awards and honours, most notably receiving the Padma Shri from the Government of India in 2010.

Last rites of Prof. Rao are scheduled for Aug. 15 in Bengaluru, according to family sources.