Professor Krishna AchutaRao, climate scientist at IIT Delhi, dies at 62

Krishna AchutaRao, a professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi whose work established the fingerprint of human activity on India's changing climate, died on September 4, 2026. He was 62.

Linking global science to regional risks

AchutaRao's collaborative research demonstrated detectable human influence on temperature changes across Indian sub-regions, connecting global climate science with the regional risks confronting India. His key contributions included determining the degree to which observed climatic change could be attributed to human activity.

"Krishna was a long-time friend and colleague, and over the years, we had many conversations and arguments about climate science," Roxy Mathew Koll, climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, told The Hindu. "He was also a clear and principled critic whenever scientific temper was compromised, something that has become increasingly important in the present political climate," Koll said, adding, "His passing is a major loss to Indian climate science, but for many of us it is also the loss of a warm, thoughtful friend with a wonderful sense of humour. I will miss him deeply".

Career spanning two continents

An engineering graduate, AchutaRao worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison in the U.S. before returning to India in 2007. Over two decades at IIT Delhi, he served as Head of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences and Dean (Faculty), helping establish the institute's Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Adaptation.

"Krishna was a wonderful person and, of late, worked on the attribution of climate events like heat waves. He also applied AI tools in climate change and monsoon research. We will miss him," Madhavan Rajeevan, Vice Chancellor, ATRIA University, and former Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, told The Hindu. He was also a member of the World Climate Research Programme's Joint Scientific Committee from 2025.

Dileepkumar R., Assistant Professor, Kumbalathu Sankupillai Memorial Devaswom Board College, Kerala, who completed his Ph.D. under AchutaRao's supervision, said in an email, "It is extremely difficult for me to accept this loss," adding, "He was much more than a Ph.D. supervisor to me…a man of great integrity, a genuinely kind soul, an exceptional scientist, and a person with a deep commitment to society".

Source: The Hindu