Prof. (Dr.) N. V. Ramana Rao is currently the Director and Professor of Civil Engineering at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Raipur. He obtained his BE in Civil Engineering from Osmania University, M.Tech. from IIT Delhi, Ph.D. in Structural Engineering from the University of Wales, UK, and subsequently completed his post-doctoral research in Civil and Structural Engineering at the same institution under a Commonwealth Fellowship awarded in 1998. An accomplished academic and administrator, he has previously served as Director, NIT Warangal (October 2017 - April 2023); Director (Additional Charge), NIT Andhra Pradesh (October 2017 - March 2018); and Director (Additional Charge), the School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada (November 2021 - September 2022). Earlier, he held several key positions at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), including Registrar, Principal, Director of the Bureau of Industrial Consultancy Services, and Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Development Cell.

Prof. Ramana Rao has a robust research and academic profile, having edited three books and published about 186 papers in national and international journals and conferences. He has organized 12 conferences and workshops, delivered 15 invited lectures, guided more than 80 M.Tech dissertations and 13 Ph.D. theses, and is presently supervising several doctoral scholars. His  contributions have been widely recognized through numerous awards and honours, including the Outstanding Concrete Engineer Award (2012) by the A.P. Chapter of the Indian Concrete Institute; the TOBIP Award (2012) by Junior Chamber International, Hyderabad; the Arthur Cotton Memorial Prize of the Institution of Engineers (India) for best papers in 2012 and 2015; the State Best Teacher Award (2011) by the Government of Andhra Pradesh; the Best Designer Award (2004) by the Indian Concrete Institute, A.P. Hyderabad Centre; the Young Engineer Award (1995) by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Institution of Engineers (India); the Commonwealth Scholarship (1989) for Ph.D. studies at the University of Wales, Swansea; the “Eminent Engineer” Award by the Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India), Madurai (2018); and the “Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya Prize Award - 2020” in Engineering by the Institution of Engineers (India), Telangana State Centre and the Government of Telangana.

He has played an influential role in several academic, professional and governmental bodies. Prof. Ramana Rao has been a Member of the Academic Senate of JNTU Hyderabad and has served on expert committees for major infrastructure projects, such as the City Police Commissionerate Headquarters Building and the Integrated Command and Control Centre. He has been the Chairman and Secretary of the Indian Concrete Institute - A.P. Hyderabad Centre; an Executive Member of the Indian Institute of Bridge Engineers; and has served on several important state-level government committees. He has been a member of multiple All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) inspection committees, the Chairman of the Board of Studies in Civil Engineering at JNTUH, the Coordinator for the Singareni Collieries Recruitment Test, and an External Expert Member of the ISRO Departmental Promotion Committee. He has also been nominated as an Expert Committee member by the University Grants Commission for granting autonomous status to technical institutions, served as Subject Committee Member of the Telangana State Public Service Commission, and been a member of the Telangana State Pollution Control Board and Expert Committee of the Telangana State Power Generation Corporation.

In the domain of competitive examinations and higher education policy, Prof. Ramana Rao has made substantial contributions as Convener of EAMCET (Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test) for Andhra Pradesh from 2010 to 2014 and for Telangana State in 2015 and 2016, a state-level entrance examination for professional courses. He has also served as a Member of the Joint Entrance Examination Apex Board (JAB) for the conduct of JEE examinations in 2018, 2019, and 2020. He has been a member of several high-powered committees constituted by the Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including committees to frame affiliation guidelines for engineering colleges, and was elected a Fellow of the Telangana Academy of Sciences in 2018. He has visited the USA, UK, China, Spain, Taiwan and Portugal (Lisbon) for academic collaboration and scholarly engagements.

Collectively, Prof. Rao’s academic leadership, extensive research output, policy-level engagements and professional service position him as a leading figure in civil and structural engineering education and practice in India.