Prof. Pradhan was a visionary who not only made significant scientific contributions, but also developed and nurtured many institutions. He did his Ph.D. in 1956 under the supervision of M. Goldberger from the University of Chicago. His Ph.D. thesis was entitled ''Electron Capture by Protons passing through the Hydrogen.'' He was a faculty member at Ravenshaw college from 1951-53 and 1958-62. Subsequently, he joined the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata. In 1974, he joined the newly formed Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar as founder Director. Through his efforts, in 1985, the Institute was taken over by the Department of Atomic Energy as an aided institute. From 1989-1991, he was the Vice Chancellor of Utkal University.

Prof. Pradhan has been recognized for his work with many awards, including the Padma Bhushan conferred by Govt. of India in 1990.

A Biographical Sketch

Organizers: Karunakar Nanda and Pankaj Agrawal