Putcha Venkateswarlu obtained DSc (1947) from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. He served as Professor, Department of Physics, IIT Kanpur (1961-82). He was also Professor, Department of Physics, Alabama A & M University, USA (1982- ); Visiting Professor, Department of Chemistry, Lousiana State University, USA (1982); Visiting Research Officer, Hezberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council (NRC) of Canada (1976-77); Visiting Professor in Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Canada (1972-73); and Visiting Scientist, Division of Pure Physics, NRC of Canada (1967-68).

Academic and Research Achievements:Venkateswarlu obtained extensive results in halogen spectra. He was the first to observe a bent triatomic free radical (CF2) through its emission spectrum. He was the first to predict dipole moment and microwave transitions in excited states of Td and D2d type molecules. He obtained extensive results in EPR, NMR, microwave spectra, laser excited fluorescence, energy transfer and energy up-conversion in rare earth ion-doped crystals, nonlinear optics and optical phase conjugation.

Other Contributions:Venkateswarlu served as Member, CSIR Physical Research Committee (1961-74), and also as Member of several UGC committees. He developed laboratories for working in vacuum UV to radio frequency region, laser spectroscopy, EPR, NMR, microwave spectroscopy, nonlinear optics and optical phase conjugation.

Awards and Honours:Professor Venkateswarlu won the CV Raman Centenary Medal Award (1988). He was elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore.