India, Sept. 5 -- Renowned climate scientist and professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Krishna AchutaRao, passed away on Friday at the age of 62 following a prolonged illness.

His colleagues and students described his passing as a significant loss to the scientific community, saying he was one of India's pioneering voices in understanding climate change and worked tirelessly towards advancing climate adaptation.

"He was suffering from health issues for a long time, but we didn't expect to lose him so suddenly. He was still teaching at the institute," Mila Mitra, AchutaRao's wife, told HT.

AchutaRao earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in mathematics from BITS Pilani in 1986. He lat...