Dr Guruprasad Kuppu Rao, Professor and Co-Lead of Product Design at the School of Design, has over 36 years of experience encompassing industry and academia and has served as a CEO and as Dean/Director of the School of Design, holding key academic and administrative roles in industry and higher education institutions. His research interests include creative problem-solving, design simulation through high-fidelity prototyping, advanced manufacturing and digital factories, design validation through prototyping and testing, product aesthetics and their evaluation, PLM, sustainable packaging, the application of 3D printing in medical applications, and the design of medical devices.

At Anant, Dr Rao’s current teaching and research interests lie in the broad area of Product Design and allied domains, particularly the transformation of the discipline due to emerging technologies, sustainability, and evolving user aspirations. He advocates for and actively engages in interdisciplinary research to maximise serendipity and synergy in creating innovative solutions. His focus is on the 3Ps: Products, Patents, and Papers.

Dr Rao holds a PhD in Design from IIT Bombay. He also holds a Master of Design in Product Design and Manufacturing from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), a postgraduate qualification in Tool Design and Engineering from GTTC, Bangalore, and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore University. Additionally, he received training in Design in Japan under an AOTS Scholarship.

Prior to joining Anant, Dr Rao established his own design consultancy, serving as Director of Moudgalya Design Solutions LLP. He began his professional journey as a Painting Instructor at Bal Bhavan after receiving training and orientation in the Bal Bhavan method of teaching from the National Bal Bhavan, New Delhi.

Following his graduation, Dr Rao has held diverse academic and industry positions, including Lecturer at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering; Senior Engineer at Titan/Tanishq; Head of the Industrial Design Centre at CG Corporate R&D Centre, Mumbai; Professor and Head of the Project Office at IICD, Jaipur; Professor and Chief Coordinator of PLMCC at JSSATE, Bangalore; CEO, Director of Operations, and Mentor at Imaginarium India Pvt Ltd; Director of the School of Design at MIT-WPU, Pune; and Professor and Dean of the School of Design at SVKM’s NMIMS School of Design, Mumbai, where he led the BDes programme in Humanising Technology.

Curious about the natural world, Dr Rao pursues a wide range of interests beyond teaching, which he considers his time for play, meditation, and learning. A former ham radio operator, he enjoyed communicating across the country and around the globe using wireless equipment. He has a keen interest in astronomy and has built his own Newtonian telescope, spending weekends stargazing.

He also has a deep interest in sketching, painting, and model making using diverse materials. A lover of nature, he captures it through photography and on canvas. He enjoys cooking and experimenting with both classic and new recipes in the kitchen.