Professor Narasimhan was affectionately known as PTN to his many colleagues and students. He joined IIT Kanpur as a faculty and over the next twenty-five years, he established himself as a scientific leader and dedicated teacher in the fields of magnetic resonance and theoretical physical chemistry. He was instrumental in building I.I.T. Kanpur into one of the preeminent centres of academic research in the basic sciences.

Education

• BSc. In Physics from Madras Christian College
• Msc. in Chemistry from Madra Christian College
• PhD in Physical Chemistry from IISC Bengaluru

After his retirement from I.I.T. Kanpur in 1987, Professor Narasimhan moved to the United States and initiated a new phase of his research into novel medical and biological applications of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, first in association with the Huntington Memorial Research Institute and later at the California Institute of Technology.

Throughout his career, Professor Narasimhan also enjoyed a reputation as an inspiring teacher and sought-after mentor to scores of young undergraduate and graduate students. Outside science, music was Professor Narasimhan's abiding passion- he was a strong supporter of Indian Classical music and was himself an accomplished flautist in the Indian Carnatic musical tradition, performing in India and later in the United States.