Important academic positions:
Degrees, Fellowships and Memberships of Science Academies
M.Sc. (Banaras) 1953, D.Sc. (Mysore) 1960, Ph.D. (Purdue) 1958.
Honorary Doctorates from 71 Universities:
Foreign Universities: D.Sc. (honoris causa) Bordeaux, Caen, ANU Canberra, Colorado, Khartoum, Liverpool, Northwestern, Novosibirsk, Oxford, Purdue, St. Andrews, Stellenbosch, Université Joseph Fourier, Wales, Wroclaw and RAS (SB); Sc.D (honoris causa) Notre Dame; Fil. Dr. (honoris causa) Uppsala; Dr. Engg(h.c) Taiwan.
Indian UniversitiesD.Sc. (honoris causa) Aligarh, Amity, Anna, Andhra, Assam, Banaras, Bengal Engineering, Bangalore, Bharatiya Vidyapeeth, Burdwan, Bundelkhand, Delhi, DPU, Hyderabad, ICT (Bombay), IGNOU Universities, IISERs (Bhopal, Kolkata, Mohali & Pune), IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT New Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological, Kalyani, Kanpur, Karnataka, Kashmir, Kolkata,Krishnadevaraya, Kuvempu, Lucknow, Mahatma Gandhi, Mangalore, Manipur, Mysore, Osmania, Panjab, Roorkee, Sikkim Manipal, SRM, Tumkur, Uttar Pradesh Technological, Sri Venkateswara, Vidyasagar, Visveswaraya Technological Universities, LL.D (honoris Causa) SV University; D.Litt. (KSOU); Nadoja (Hampi); Desikottama (Vishva-Bharathi).
Fellowships of Academies:
Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences.
Fellow, Indian National Science Academy.
Fellow, National Academy of Sciences of India.
Fellow, Indian National Academy of Engineering.
Fellow, The Royal Society, London.
Foreign Associate, National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Honorary Foreign Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Member, Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Foreign Member, American Philosophical Society.
Founding Fellow, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
Foreign Member, Soviet (now Russian) Academy of Sciences.
Foreign Member, Polish Academy of Sciences.
Foreign Member, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
Foreign Member, Slovenian Academy of Sciences, Ljubljana.
Foreign Member, Serbian Academy of Arts & Sciences, Yugoslavia.
Honorary Foreign Member, Korean Academy of Science & Technology.
Foreign Member, Academia Europaea.
Titular Member, European Academy of Arts, Sciences & Humanities.
Foreign Member, Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
Honorary Member, Japan Academy.
Foreign Member, Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences.
Foreign Member, French Academy of Sciences.
Honorary Member, African Academy of Sciences.
Honorary Member, Caribbean Academy of Sciences.
Foreign Fellow, Royal Society of Canada.
Foreign Member, Argentina Academy of Sciences
Foreign Member, Mangolian Academy of Sciences
Foreign Member, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Corresponding Member, Australian Academy of Sciences
Honorary Member, Nepal Academy of Science & Technology
Important positions in National and International Bodies:
Chairman, Vision Group on Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka (2008- ).
Chairman, National Nano Initiative, Government of India.
Member, Executive Board, Science Institutes Group, Princeton.
Founder President, Chemical Research Society of India.
Founder President, Materials Research Society of India.
Chairman, Indo-Brazil Science Council.
Member, Council of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai.
International Adviser of the National Institute of Materials Science (NIMS) of Japan.
Vice-President, International Organization of Chemistry for Development.
Important positions in various bodies held in the past:
Chairman, Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (2004 - 2014).
Past President, The Academy of Sciences for the developing world (TWAS), Trieste.
Member, Atomic Energy Commission of India (1986-2014).
Chairman, Scientific Advisory Committee to the Union Cabinet (1997-98).
Chairman, Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India (1985-89).
Chancellor, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong.
President, International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) (1985-1987).
Chancellor, Assam University.
Member, Executive Board, International Council of Science (ICSU)
Chairman, Indo-Japan Science Council.
Chairman,Long-term research collaboration with Russia.
President, Indian National Science Academy.
President, Indian Academy of Sciences.
President, Indian Science Congress.
Chairman, Advisory Board, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India).
Member, University Grants Commission, India.
Member, Planning Commission, Government of India.
Chairman, IUPAC Commission on Spectroscopy and Molecular Structure and also of the IUPAC Committee on Teaching of Chemistry.
Chairman, Chemical Research Committee, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Chairman, Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Committee, Department of Atomic Energy.
Member, Board of Directors, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited.
Chairman (Honorary), Board of Directors, Hindustan Insecticides Limited (a Public sector undertaking).
Member, National Committee on Science & Technology and later Science Advisory Committee to the Cabinet.
Member, Science and Engineering Research Council, Government of India.
Member, Executive Committee, Committee on Data for Science and Technology (ICSU).
Director, Reserve Bank of India.
Chairman, Standing Committee of the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER).