Subray Venkatraman Bhat obtained his BSc and MSc degrees from Karnatak University, Dharwad and Bangalore University, respectively. He joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and earned his PhD under (late) Professor R Srinivasan in the area of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) of solids. After serving as an Assistant Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory, Bangalore for a year, he proceeded to USA for post-doctoral research. After 4 years in Texas and Florida, he returned to IISc in 1979 and has been with the Institute since. He served as the Chairman, Department of Physics (1997-2002) and as the Dean, Faculty of Science, IISc (2006-08).

Academic and Research Achievements: Professor Bhat has made significant contributions to experimental condensed matter physics, especially using local probes like electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and NMR. He is credited with many 'firsts' in his research work, including the first observation of the phenomenon of microwave and r.f. absorption in the high Tc superconductors, observation for the first time anomalous behaviours of EPR spin Hamiltonian parameters in charge ordering manganites which provide important insights into the mechanism of charge/orbital ordering, and first experimental observation of an unusual 'equipartition' of currents in parallel superconducting paths. The latter modifies the textbook wisdom of inductance-determined-division of super currents. His work on vitrification of water shows that it is possible to access the so-called 'No Man's Land' in the phase diagram of water. Most recently, he, along with his students, showed that most charge ordered, antiferromagnetic manganites turn ferromagnetic at nanoscale, thus providing first evidence for a kind of reverse alchemy!

Other Contributions: Bhat has served as the Vice-President of the Asia-Pacific EPR Society and is the Founder President of Electron Magnetic Resonance Society of India. He was a visitor at the University of Bordeux, France, the University of Washington, Seattle and was a Visiting Professor at the University of Queensland at Brisbane and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

Awards and Honours: Profressor Bhat was awarded the Materials Research Society of India Medal in 1994 and was selected for the Prestigious Professor YT Thathachari Research Award in Science (2001). He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore and the National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad.