Noted climate scientist and IIT Delhi professor Krishna Achuta Rao passed away at 62 on September 4, 2026. He helped identify human influence on climate change, including temperature shifts across Indian sub-regions, worked on attribution of events such as heat waves, and applied Artificial Intelligence to climate and monsoon research. He headed IIT Delhi's Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, served as Dean (Faculty), helped set up its Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Adaptation, and joined the World Climate Research Programme's Joint Scientific Committee in 2025.