Rama Shankar Varma did his DSc (1936) from University of Allahabad. He was Head, Defence Science Laboratory, Professor and Head, Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics (1962) and also Visiting Professor, University of Waterloo, Canada.`

Academic and Research Achievements:Varma’s researches related to both pure and applied mathematics and covered: functions of real variables, special functions, ordinary differential equations, Fourier analysis, integral transforms and operational calculus, fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, space dynamics, ballistics, operational research, quenching theory, theory of reliability, and information theory. On the basis of Meijer’s integral, he developed in 1945, the theory on generalized Laplace transform and gave a new generalization. He also gave five theorems and subsequently presented an inversion formula for his generalized Laplace transform. In 1951, he gave another generalization of the classical Laplace-Sitieltjes integral, which came to be known as Varma transform. This transform has been found capable of yielding very general results. In 1966, he made a detailed study of his two generalizations.

Other Contributions: Varma was Founder Member of the Operational Research Society, and Member of the Australian Mathematical Society, American Mathematical Society, and Operations Research Society of America.

Awards and Honours:Professor Varma was elected President of the Mathematics Section of Indian Science Congress (1961), Society for the Promotion of Mathematical Sciences (Founder President), Bharat Ganita Parishad (1963-64) (Founder Member also), Indian Mathematical Society (1966-67, 1967-68), and Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore.