PR Jagapathy Naidu obtained his DPhil (1951) from University of Basel, Switzerland specializing in geological sciences. He served as the Assistant Professor of Geology, Central College, Bangalore; Professor and Head, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Madras; Director, Centre for Advanced Studies in Geology, Panjab University, Chandigarh and as Retired Professor of Geology (UGC), University of Mysore.

Academic and Research Achievements:Naidu specialized in mineralogy and petrology. It was his hypothesis that (i) there is nothing like a rock called ‘charnockite’, which is not a hypersthene – granite; (ii) there is nothing like an igneous consanguineous series of rocks called the ‘Charnockite series’, which have differentiated from the ultrabasic to the acidic end, and (iii) there is nothing like a province, called the ‘Charnockite province’ which is not at once a granite- gneiss-schist province.

Others Contributions:He had authored a book 4-Axes Universal State, which was hailed by peers as the best book on the subject in English language. It was largely due to the initiative of Naidu that Minerological Society of India, he founded in 1959, started a new journal Indian Mineralogist.

Awards and Honours:Naidu was a Fellow, Mineralogical Societies of America and Switzerland, Geological Society of London; Member, Council, International Mineralogical Association (1962-64); Founder President (1959), Mineralogical Society of India. He was the President, Geology and Geography Section, Indian Science Congress (1963).