1971 - BTech - Mechanical Engineering) & (1979 - MS - Mechanical Engineering Director @ Defence Research & Development Laboratory
Mr. P. Venugopalan received his B. Tech (Mechanical Engineering) degree in 1971 and Masters Degree (Mechanical Engineering) in 1979 from IIT, Madras.
Mr. Venugopalan is currently Outstanding Scientist and Director, Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad. As Director, he is responsible for the development of a number of guided missile systems, viz., Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGDMP), Astra Air to Air Missile, Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LRSAM) and BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile.
He joined DRDL in 1972 and has served DRDO in various capacities. His areas of work include development of propulsion systems, missile system design and system engineering. He has been a leading scientist In development of liquid propulsion systems for DRDO’s missile programmes and is one of the few in the country with great deal of experience in missile systems development. He was the chief designer of liquid propulsion systems for Prithvi and Agni missiles. Subsequently, as Director of Advanced Technology, he conceptualised the propulsion systems for Hyperplane, a single stage to orbit launch vehicle. He Initiated the development of scramjet propulsion systems in DRDL, a key technology for hypersonic ?ight vehicles.
With his expertise in propulsion systems and missile system engineering, he was made Project Director of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile System project, a joint development programme with Russia. I-le successfully completed the project and the system has been inducted into Indian Navy and Indian Army. Currently, he is steering the joint development programme of LRSAM by India and Israel.
Mr. Venugopalan has received a number of awards, including DRDO Scientist of the Year Award In 2002, National Aeronautical Prize from Aeronautical Society of India in 2002 and DRDO Best Performance Award in 2005. He is a member of professional engineering societies such as Combustion Institute (India), Aeronautical Society of India, High Energy Materials Society of India and Society for Aerospace Quality & Reliability.
In recognition of his outstanding professional accomplishments and contributions to Indigenous guided missile programmes for India’s defence, IIT Madras and its alumni are proud to confer on him this award.
