Eminent scientist Professor C N R Rao has become the first Asian to be chosen for the prestigious Von Hippel Award for his immense contribution in materials research.



The award is the US-based Materials Research Society's (MRS) highest honour.



It recognises "those qualities most prized by materials scientists and engineers -- brilliance and originality of intellect, combined with vision that transcends the boundaries of conventional scientific disciplines," according to the MRS.



The award citation noted Rao's immense work on novel functional materials, including nanomaterials (having particles of nanoscale dimensions), graphene (the strongest and thinnest material) and 2D materials, superconductivity, and colossal magnetoresistance (change in electrical resistance of a material in a magnetic field).



The award will be presented in Boston on November 29, during an MRS meeting, according to a release issued by the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research here of which Rao, a Bharat Ratna awardee, is the founder president. The award includes a cash prize, trophy and a diploma.