Prof B V Sreekantan came to NIAS in 1992 as the Radhakrishnan Visiting Professor chair, and was actively engaged with the institute as Visiting Professor in the Consciousness Studies Programme. A high-energy astrophysicist, he worked with Dr. Homi Bhabha, the father of the Indian Nuclear programme, at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), at which institute Prof Sreekantan also served as director from 1975 to 1987. Educated in Mysore, IISc Bangalore, and with a PhD from Mumbai University, Prof Sreekantan spent 39 years at TIFR, working on important research projects in astrophysics and cosmic ray physics. He has held numerous visiting positions in the US and Japan, and authored over 200 research papers. He was considered one of India's "living legends in Science" until he passed in October 2019.

Coming to NIAS upon retiring from TIFR, Prof Sreekantan moved from being a pure science researcher to studying the scientific and philosophical aspects of consciousness and exploring the commonalities and similarities in holistic approaches in modern science and ancient philosophies. His seminars at NIAS have led to an exploration of the historical, epistemological, mathematical, experimental and technological factors that laid the foundations of the sciences and led to the growth of modern science over the last few decades. He also engaged in studies related to the application of physics and mathematical tools to biological systems.