AGK Bio-sketch

Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan was the topper (first-rank holder) of the first-batch of the prestigious BARC Training School conducted by the DAE, having secured the first place in their competitive All-India Examination in 1958, and was associated with the commissioning of the Cyrus Research Reactor between 59-61. After getting his Masters' and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley in 1969,  he worked in the Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, California, the Argonne National Lab, CETEC Corporation ( NASA Project on solid-rocket propulsion), and as a project manager in US-AEC projects, his expertise being in fast-breeder reactors and nuclear safety, before returning to India in 1976. Between 1976-1987 he established the BHEL R&D centre in Balanagar, Hyderabad and was associated with various Clean-Coal technology projects and responsible for planning and implemention of several renewable rural energy development projects. In 1984, he received the NRDC National Invention Award (jointly with three others) for the development and commercialization of Atmospheric Fluidized-bed Boilers for Indian high-ash coals. Between 1987-1993 he was Director CMERI (CSIR) and served as Director of the National Rural Drinking Water Desalination Project under the Rajiv Gandhi Technology Mission on Drinking Water and Director of the Deep-Sea Mining Project of the Department of Ocean Development. He played a key role in India's Nuclear Submarine ATV Project from 1976-1986. In 1994, he served as Chairman of the 15-nation IAEA Drafting Committee for the International Convention on Nuclear Safety. From 2001-2003 he was a  Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, JF Kennedy School Government, Harvard  University, and 2003 onwards was Honorary  Professor, Energy and Security,  Administrative Staff  College  of  India (ASCI) , Hyderabad. He was a staunch opponent of the Indo-US  Deal in 2005 and wrote and spoke extensively against it in the press. He co-authored a book called Strategic Sell-out: Indian-US Nuclear Deal with Bharat Karnad P K Iyengar, and A N Prasad in 2009.