Dr. Gottipaty N. Rao

Dr. Gottipaty N. Rao, a distinguished physicist, educator, and scholar, passed away peacefully at the age of 89. He was a devoted father, grandfather, mentor, and lifelong seeker of knowledge whose work and presence spanned continents, institutions, and generations.

Born in a village in Andhra Pradesh, India, Dr. Rao’s early life was shaped by humility, discipline, and intellectual curiosity. The son of a village teacher who adopted and educated multiple children, Dr. Rao was granted a rare opportunity to pursue higher education—an opportunity he transformed into a remarkable global career. He earned his B.S. in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics from Andhra University (1955), an M.S. in Physics from Aligarh University (1959), and a Ph.D. in Physics in 1963.

Dr. Rao’s academic career included appointments across India, Europe, and the United States. He served for many years at the Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur), where he began as a Lecturer and later became Chairman of Physics. He held visiting and research positions at the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory; the University of Bonn; Katholieke University of Leuven; and the French Atomic Energy Commission in Grenoble. He finally joined Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, where he served as Professor and longtime Chair of the Physics Department, teaching until the age of 86.

An internationally respected researcher, Dr. Rao specialized in modern optics, atomic physics, laser spectroscopy, and high-sensitivity sensor development. He supervised ten Ph.D. dissertations, presented at invited lectures worldwide, convened international conferences, and authored and edited numerous scholarly works. In 2012, he was awarded two U.S. patents for innovations in trace gas detection technology.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Dr. Rao was deeply devoted to his family and his chosen family with Anita Quiett. He took great pride in his children and grandchildren, following their lives with curiosity, admiration, and quiet joy. In his own reserved way, he expressed love through presence, guidance, and an unwavering belief in education and perseverance. His role as a father, grandfather, and adoring partner was central to his identity, and remained a constant and grounding force throughout his life. In later years, as illness reshaped his independence, he revealed a gentler and more expressive side—marked by gratitude, laughter, and reflection. Even as his health declined, his pride in his work and love for intellectual exchange remained luminous.

Dr. Rao was predeceased by his wife, Saraswathi Gottipaty. He is survived by his life partner Anita Quiett; his children Venkateshwar (Bhavna Jayaram), Krishna (Seema Shankar), and Archana Gottipaty; and his grandchildren Anjali, Nikhil, Vijay, and Sonia Gottipaty.

A visitation and funeral service will be held on January 21, 2026 at 1:30 PM, at Aaron-Ruben-Nelson in Zionsville, IN. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Adelphi University Physics Scholarship Fund.

Dr. Rao’s life stands as a testament to perseverance, intellect, and the enduring impact of teaching. His legacy lives on in the students he mentored, the knowledge he advanced, and the family who learned from him, and loved him dearly.