Hon. Dr. V. K. Aatre had his early education in Karnataka and obtained his BE degree from University of Mysore in 1961. This was followed by ME from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1963 and PhD. from University of Waterloo, Canada in 1967 all in electrical Engineering. After a short stint as post doctoral fellow, he served on the Faculty of Engineering Technical University of Nova Scotia, Halifax Canada as Professor of Electrical Engineering from 1968 to 1980. During 1977 he was visiting professor in the department of Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science.

In 1980 he returned to India and took up a job as Principle Scientific Officer at the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory of Defene Research and Development Organization at Cochin. Within a short period of four years he became the Director of NPOL and served in NPOL till 1991. In 1991 he moved to the Head Quarters of DRDO as Chief Controller (R&D). He became a Distinguished Scientist of DRDO in 1996. In 1999 he was appointed as Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister (SA to RM), Director General DRDO, Director of Aeronautical Development Agency, and Secretary Department of Defence R&D. He served in this capacity till his superannuation in August 2005. He is now a Visiting Professor at the IISc, Bengaluru.

Post 1996, he took up managerial responsibilities including technology transfer, human resource development, international cooperation and extra-mural funding. As the first head of the Technology Transfer and Collaboration Division, BARC, he streamlined the process of technology transfer from BARC. As Scientific Secretary, Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), he initiated several schemes to increase collaborations with the universities. He continues to be a member of the Board of BRNS.

Looking into the future, a Strategic Planning Group was set up in the DAE in December 2000 with Dr. Grover as its first Director. This group became the focal point for planning of all activities in the department, international collaborations, evolving framework for governance of atomic energy and above all engagement with international community for opening of international civil nuclear trade with India. His role in negotiations leading to opening up of international civil nuclear trade was very significant. He was a part of the team that negotiated the agreement of cooperation with the USA and led the team in most other cases. He was the lead negotiator for discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This work involved a deep study of nuclear law, an emerging discipline requiring knowledge of nuclear science as well as nuclear law. Some of the topics covered under this discipline are non-proliferation, export controls, nuclear security, civil nuclear liability, safeguards and a host of international treaties and conventions. As a result of these efforts, the regime governing civil nuclear trade has been adjusted to facilitate civil nuclear trade with India and this has been achieved in a manner that doesn't impact India's strategic programme. In fact, it has been described as a diplomatic triumph for India.

Role played by Dr. Grover was summed up by Mr. M K Narayanan, who was National Security Adviser when the civil nuclear initiative was being negotiated, in a function in Goa on 29 May 2010 when he said, “And today when we talk about 123 agreement, one other name should be mentioned by everyone of us – the great Dr. Grover – of the atomic energy establishment, who [worked] painstakingly and with great amount of skill of not merely [an] atomic scientist, not merely a diplomat, but also a legal wizard.”

    As in-charge of international collaborations in the DAE, he nurtured collaborations with several countries and organizations particularly France, USA and CERN, Geneva. He was the key member of the team that negotiated India's entry into the ITER project in December 2005, which is the largest scientific project involving seven parties namely China, EU, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the USA. He is leading India's delegation to the ITER Council since 2006.

He played a lead role in conceptualizing and the setting up of Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) – a deemed to be university. He led HBNI since its accreditation as a deemed to be University from June 2005 until end-Feb. 2016 & brought it to the level of one of the best research universities in the country. This has enabled DAE to expand doctoral programmes, increase intake of students in post-graduate and super-specialty medical programmes & start several new academic programmes.

In view of his wide experience, Dr. Grover is invited to participate in national and international platforms. Particular mention may be made about the invitation received by him in 2003 from the Director General, IAEA to be a member of the expert team to examine Multilateral Approaches to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle.

Dr. Grover was conferred with a Padma Shri in 2014 and has been honoured by all institutions where he has studied or worked. During a career spanning four and a half decades, Dr. Grover has distinguished himself as an academic, research and development engineer and an institution builder.






Awards and honours