Professor Pratip N. Raychowdhury PhD

Dr. Raychowdhury, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University, was born on January 1, 1932 in Calcutta, India. He received his B.S. from the University of Calcutta, his M.S. from Brigham Young University and his PhD from George Washington University. After receiving his M.S. degree, he took a position with the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell near Oxford, England.

Prior to joining the faculty at VCU, Dr. Raychowdhury was a Research Associate for the Nuclear Data Project (U.S. Atomic Energy Commission) with the National Research Council of the U.S. National Academy of Science, an Assistant Professor of Physics and Applied Mathematics at Rutgers University and an Assistant Professor of Mathematics in the Defense Department of Canada. He was also a Senior Staff Scientist with the U.S. Department of the Navy’s Logistics Research Project and an Associate Professor of Physics at the New York Institute of Technology.

Dr. Raychowdhury joined the faculty of VCU’s Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics in 1969 as an Associate Professor and was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1974. While an Associate Professor, he served as a consultant to a multimedia teaching program for the U.S. Naval Academy under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. He was known for his excellence in teaching applied mathematics. He took great pride in preparing students to be successful in advanced degree programs at VCU and other prestigious universities. He was a prolific researcher who published numerous articles, including with his student James Boyd.

Dr. Raychowdhury was a great friend and mentor for beginning faculty members whose scholarly progress he diligently guided. As one of the first faculty members in his department, he was instrumental in developing the department’s governing procedures and guided the policy decision making process of the emerging department. Dr. Raychowdhury was chairman of the first university-wide tenure and promotion committee. He was founding editor of the Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations. In 1982 he was honored as the first recipient of VCU’s “Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Service”. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Raychowdhury presented at numerous national conferences as well as international conferences in Canada, England, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and The Netherlands.

Dr. Raychowdhury was preceded in death by his father, K.M. Roy Chowdhury, his mother, A.B. Roy Chowdhury and his brother, Sankar Roy Chowdhury. He is survived by his wife, Gertraud (Gerda) Eder with whom he enjoyed fifty years of love, admiration and friendship. He is also survived by his sister, Ira Ghosh, niece, Reshmi Roy Chowdhury and nephew, Kali Kinkar Roy Chowdhury.

Dr. Raychowdhury and his wife, Gerda shared their love of music, culture, nature and fine cuisine during their many travels and especially while staying in their second home in the resort town of Gmunden in the Alpine Lakes District of Austria.

A celebration of Dr. Raychowdhury’s life will be held on Sunday, July 18, 2021 at Teague Funeral Home in Charlottesville. A service will begin at 5:00 pm, with a reception to follow.