Guntupalli VR Prasad received BSc and MSc degrees from Vikram University, Ujjain. After completing PhD from Panjab University, Chandigarh under the supervision of Professor Ashok Sahni, he joined the Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, Panjab University as Lecturer (1986); and then Lecturer (1986), Reader (1992) and Professor (1998) in the Department of Geology, University of Jammu. He worked as Postdoctoral Fellow at Universite Montpellier II, Pierre et Marie Curie Universite, Paris; Humboldt Universitat, Berlin; and University College London, London.

Academic and Research Achievements: At the University of Jammu, Prasad initiated teaching and research in 'vertebrate palaeontology', particularly 'microvertebrate palaeontology'. He pioneered research on evolution, functional adaptations and biogeographic origins of Cretaceous mammals of India. He discovered the first Cretaceous mammal from India and was instrumental in unearthing mammals of both Gondwanan and Laurasian affinities from northward drifting Indian plate. Further, his discovery of eutherian mammals of arboreal adaptations and euarchontan affinities from the Cretaceous India and the recent discovery of putative oldest ungulate mammal lent support to late Mesozoic origin for placental mammals. He published nearly 70 papers and mentored a large number of students including 5 PhDs.

Other Contributions: Professor Prasad served as Member on various expert committees of DST; Research Advisory Committee of WIHG, Dehradun; Governing Body of BSIP, Lucknow; and IUGS National Working Group. He was also on the Editorial Board of Journal of the Geological Society of India.

Awards and Honours: Professor Prasad was conferred the National Mineral Award (1994), SS Bhatnagar Prize (2003), L Rama Rao Birth Centenary Award (2003), Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Preparator's Grant Award (2006), Samuel P and Doris Welles Fund, University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, USA (2007), and the American Museum of Natural History (New York) Collections Study Grant (2007). He was elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore (2003) and National Academy of Sciences (India), Allahabad (2006).