[2] Relinquishing his position at NIIT University on 30 June 2020, he embraced the role of Vice-Chancellor at SRM University-AP, Andhra Pradesh from 1 July 2020.

Rao was born on 21 January 1953 in a village named Thullur, situated in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh.

[1] After finishing his 10th grade at KVR ZP High School[3] in Thullur, he went on to complete his higher secondary education at Andhra-Christian College, Guntur.

Rao also obtained a certificate in Educational Economics and Research from University of Bielefeld, Germany in 1998.

[4] Rao began his academic career in 1980 as an Assistant Lecturer at BITS Pilani, Rajasthan.

He was also honored by Telugu Association of North America (TANA), USA for contribution to excellence in education in 2013.