Kalya Jagannath Rao (born 7 December 1940), popularly known as K.
J.
Rao, is an Indian physical chemist and an Emeritus professor at the Indian Institute of Science.
He is known for his researches on nanomaterials, amorphous Materials and ceramics and is an elected fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, India, International Academy of Ceramics, Asia Pacific Academy of Materials and World Innovation Foundation and the Indian Academy of Sciences.
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1984, for his contributions to chemical sciences.