Prof. M.R.S. Rao is one of the most prominent scientists in India, currently working as honorary professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India. In 2010 he received the country’s 4th highest civilian award "PadmaShri" from the Government of India for his outstanding contribution to the field of bio-medical sciences. Prof. Rao obtained his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1973 and subsequently worked in different capacities at various renowned international institutes/universities such as Baylor College of Medicine, USA, Harvard Medical School, USA, and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of California at San Diego, USA,. His area of interest spans RNA biology, molecular and cellular biology, genomics and cancer biology, molecular genetics of type II diabetes & cancer genetics, and chromatin biology. He has made seminal contribution in delineation of the biology and role of long non-coding RNA molecules. He has published over 150 articles in respected national and international journals and is a member of various prestigious national and international societies/associations. He has received numerous national and international awards during his distinguished scientific career.