Thursday, August 03, 2017

Unsung heroes Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, also known as C R Rao

C R Rao



indian scientists C.R.Rao | Scientificindia.net
C.R.Rao | Scientificindia.net

Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, also known as C R Rao is an Indian mathematician and statistician, who is noted for his contributions to the foundations of statistical theory and multivariate statistical methodology. C.R. Rao was born in 1920 in Hoovina Hadagali, Karnataka. He did his M.A. degree in mathematics at the Andhra University and completed his M.A. degree in statistics from Calcutta University. He earned his Ph.D. in 1948 from Cambridge University under the guidance of R.A. Fisher, the father of modern statistics.
Later, C R Rao began working at the Indian Statistical Institute, where he worked until he retired at the age of 60. Under the direction the doyen of Indian statistics, P.C. Mahalanobis, he played an important role in setting up state statistical bureaus in different states of India. Further, C.R. Rao worked towards setting up the Central Statistical Organization and the National Sample Survey Organization, due to which India has one of the world’s best national statistical systems.
Among his best-known discoveries are the Cramér–Rao bound and the Rao–Blackwell theorem on the quality of estimators. Other areas he worked in include multivariate analysis, estimation theory, and differential geometry. His other contributions include the Fisher–Rao Theorem, Rao distance, and orthogonal arrays. Today, at the ripe age of 87, he is still active as the Director of the Center for Multivariate Analysis at Pennsylvania State University.

No comments: