Apparao M Rao is the Robert A. Bowen Professor of Physics in the department of physics and astronomy, and the director of the Clemson Nanomaterials Center at Clemson University. His research in nanoscience and nanotechnology has been cited over 30,000 times in open literature and his h-index is 72. In 2008 and 2011, he was elected as a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, respectively. In 2012, he received the Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievements in Research, and has served on the Advisory Panel for the Dean and the Vice-President of Research, Clemson University. His extensive research and development efforts have led to the recent establishment of Clemson Nanomaterials Center, which is stimulating sustainable research an