Dr. T.S.R. PRASADA RAO, PHD
- 40 years of experience including executive management positions in India’s petroleum refining/petrochemical industry
- Former Director, Indian Institute of Petroleum. Recognized with 18 awards incl. PETROTECH Lifetime Achievement Award
- Member, Oil Industry Development Board, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Prime Minister’s Hydrocarbons Vision
- Consulting clients include GTC Technology, Celanese, Honeywell, Dow, BP, ConocoPhillips, Pepsico, and Reckitt Benckiser
- Scientific output: Developed and commercialized 10 technologies, 150 papers, 50 patents, 3 books, 10 PhD students
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
February 1999 to date - Chairman, Sarasijam Technologies
- Licensed proprietary BTX separations technology offered by GTC Technology Inc. to many companies in India
- Transferred toluene alkylation technology developed in India to U.S. company. Technology commercialized in China
- Sourced cost-effective R&D services for Fortune 50 multinational corporation. Developed outsourced R&D strategies
- Advised many MNCs incl. GTC Technology, Celanese, Honeywell, Dow, BP, ConocoPhillips, Pepsico, and Reckitt Benckiser
September 1990 to January 1999 - Director, Indian Institute of Petroleum
- Increased total revenues from $0.5MM in 1990 to $4MM in 1998; non-governmental revenues from $20K to $1.9MM
- Raised $6MM infrastructure development grants and soft loans from World Bank and Oil Industry Development Board
- Developed R&D and technology commercialization partnerships with Mobil, UOP, Stone & Webster, BP, IFP, Chevron, ABB Lummus, Praxair, Unitel Technologies, Val Verde, and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research
- Created JV between Indian oil companies and BP to use DME as diesel-substitute in India. Role won sweat equity for IIP
- Won 8 CSIR Technology Awards in 9 years including Award for Business Development. Achieved ISO 9001 certification
- Ended serious and longstanding labor union problems. Success story profiled in Chemical Innovation
April 1974 to September 1990 Deputy General Manager (R&D), Indian Petrochemicals Corp. Ltd.
Created one of India’s first successful corporate R&D labs. R&D Center developed and commercialized numerous technologies. R&D Center’s technical services enabled creation of India’s first petrochemicals corporation
Championed acquisition of then-loss-making catalyst manufacturing facility. After acquisition, IPCL became first Indian company to enter global catalyst market. Turned around catalyst manufacturing facility into a profit center
AWARDS
PETROTECH Lifetime Achievement Award (2014) received from Prime Minister of India in January 2014, CSIR Technology Award (1999, 2001), Chemtech Outstanding Scientist Award (1998), Om Prakash Bhasin Award for Engineering & Technology (1996), Catalysis Society of India’s Eminent Scientist Award (1996), K.G. Naik Gold Medal (1996), Kamal Kumari National Award for Science & Technology (1995), Shri Khursheed Lal Memorial Science & Technology Award (1995), Bharatiya Sanskriti Puraskar (1994), Delhi Telugu Academy Eminent Scientist Award (1994), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry Award for Physical Sciences (1993), Indian Institute of Chemical Engineering Kuloor Memorial Award (1992), Indian Chemical Manufacturers Association Forward Technology Development Award (1985), Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering, Indian Academy of Sciences, Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineering, and New York Academy of Sciences. Member, Council of International Association of Catalysis Societies. President, Catalysis Society of India. Member, Editorial Board, Applied Catalysis, Petroleum Asia Journal, Fuel Science & Technology & Hydrocarbon Technology
PROFESSIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
Chairman, Petrotech 1997 Technical Committee, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Investigation of Gujarat Refinery Accident. Member of Prime Minister’s Group for Hydrocarbons Vision 2025, Oil Industry Development Board, Technology Group of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Rakesh Mohan Committee for National Petrochemicals Strategy, Energy Group of Confederation of Indian Industry, Governing Body of Petroleum Conservation Research Association, Governing Body of LPG Equipment Research Centre, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas Investigation Committee of Visakhapatnam Refinery Accident, Sultanpur Refinery Environmental Committee constituted by UP High Court, Society and Governing Body of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. President of India’s nominee to Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.