KOCHI: Fisheries scientist and vice chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) A Ramachandran died of cardiac arrest at his residence at Kalamasery on Friday. He was 61.
Ramachandran was appointed as vice chancellor of KUFOS while serving as director of the Cusat School of Industrial Fisheries in June, 2016.
An eminent fisheries scientist, he had also served as the fisheries advisor to the Sultanate of Oman and was expert member of many national and international fisheries councils and organisations.
The KUFOS had organised the first ever International Blue Economy Congress in India in November 2019, under the leadership of Ramachandran. He had secured his post doctoral fellowship from Delft Technical University, The Netherlands and had published more than 300 internationally recognised research papers.
He has authored many books on fisheries and guided as many as 132 research scholars in research work. A committed scientist, Ramachandran had led the research on plastic waste menace in Vembanad lake and had played a crucial role in starting over 20 post graduate courses in KUFOS in various subjects related to Ocean Environment, Costal Zone Management, Climate Change Studies, Environmental Science and Disaster Management.
Son of the former Cochin Mayor and Congress veteran late K S N Menon, Ramachandran is survived by his wife Thanooja Rajeswari, Principal of Campion School, Edapally, and his only son, Rahul Ramachandran, who is working as ship engineer in Singapore.
The body has been kept at the Medical Trust Hospital in Kochi and the cremation will be held later.