Bhubaneswar, Jan. 12: Prof. R.N.P.Choudhary, an eminent academic researcher and Emeritus Professor in the Physics Department of the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), faculty of engineering and technology of SOA Deemed to be University, passed away here on Sunday after prolonged illness. He was 80.

Prof. Choudhary had earned his Ph. D. from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and served in senior academic roles such as Head of Department of Physics at IIT Kharagpur which reflected his experience in higher education leadership.

Prof. Choudhary’s research area comprised Applied Physics with focus on dielectric and ferroelectric materials. He had numerous research publications and citations to his credit and continuously figured in the list of world’s top 2 per cent researchers in the field of Applied Physics compiled by Stanford University in USA.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

Prof. (Dr.) Manojranjan Nayak, Founder President of SOA, deeply condoled the passing away of Prof. Choudhary saying it was a great loss to the academic world and the field of research. SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda also mourned the demise of Prof. Choudhary and described him as an excellent teacher and guide for researchers.