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Prof. Rabinarayan Acharya

Director General : Over all supervision of all administrative and technical activities of the Council including research

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Academic Background

Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya is the Director General of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Botany and a bachelor’s degree in Ayurveda, followed by MD, PhD, and DSc in Ayurveda. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Bioethics. An alumnus of Utkal University and Gujarat Ayurveda University, he has a strong academic foundation in plant sciences, Ayurvedic pharmacology, and biomedical ethics.

He previously served at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar, where he held key positions including Professor and Head of Dravyaguna, Director of IQAC, Director of Pharmacy, Director of Projects, and Dean. His academic leadership has shaped postgraduate and doctoral research ecosystems in Ayurveda. He has extensive experience as Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Investigator (Co-PI) of multiple funded research projects supported by national agencies and collaborative institutions.

Research Contributions

Prof. Acharya has made pioneering contributions to Ayurvedic pharmacology and drug standardization. He established pharmacopeial standards and ethnopharmacological evidence for more than 42 Anukta Dravya (extra-pharmacopeial medicinal plants), facilitating their inclusion in the Ayurveda Pharmacopoeia of India. His studies on Shodhana procedures for Visha and Upavisha Dravya (scheduled E1 drugs) have advanced purification and safety protocols for toxic botanical substances used in Ayurveda.

He has played a central role in strengthening pharmacovigilance of Ayurveda drugs in India by coordinating national awareness and capacity-building programmes as Member Secretary and Coordinator. His work has enhanced regulatory preparedness, drug safety, and scientific accountability in traditional medicine.

To enhance scientific reliability and regulatory compliance, he has prioritised quality management across CCRAS laboratories. Under his direction, laboratories are being aligned to national and international standards, including NABL, NABH, FSSAI, and ISO certifications, ensuring analytical robustness, quality assurance, and global credibility of research outputs.

Prof. Acharya has authored five books, three monographs, 12 book chapters, and over 450 peer-reviewed research articles. He holds a patent and has supervised 43 PhD and 64 postgraduate dissertations. He serves as Chief Editor of three CCRAS research journals and reviews for several international scientific publications.

Institutional Leadership

At CCRAS, Prof. Acharya has focused on research capacity development, ecosystem building, and translational science. He introduced national research and mentoring programmes, including SPARK, PG-STAR, SMART, AGNI, ARMS, PRAYATNA, APTA, and PRAGATI, to strengthen research orientation among Ayurveda students, physicians, and academicians.

He has fostered strategic collaborations with leading scientific institutions such as CSIR, ICAR, NIPERs, IITs, AIIMS, ICMR, IISc and NIMHANS. These partnerships support drug discovery, clinical research, neuroscience, public health studies, and literary research, promoting an integrated evidence-based framework for Ayurveda.

His roles in policy and regulatory bodies include Chairmanship of the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee and membership in ASUDTAB. He has contributed as a WHO Temporary Advisor, honorary member of the WHO-GTMC committee, and a NAAC core committee member for the Manual for Health Sciences.

National and International Engagements

Prof. Acharya has represented India in academic and governmental platforms across 13 countries. His engagements span policy dialogue, research collaborations, institutional partnerships, and multilateral scientific discussions. His mentorship has produced award-winning scholars, including recipients of national Best PhD and MD Thesis Awards, as well as the Dr. P. D. Sethi Memorial Awards.

Awards and Recognition

Prof. Acharya has received multiple national honours for his contributions to Ayurvedic science and education, including:

  • Best Teacher Award, Ministry of Ayush (2017)
  • Best Research Paper Award, Ministry of AYUSH (2017)
  • IASTAM National Award (2022)
  • Society for Ethnopharmacology (SFE) National Award (2023)
  • Vaidya Sundarlal Joshi Smruti Sodh Puraskara (2024)

Thirteen institutions across India have recognized his contributions to Ayurvedic teaching, research, and institutional development.

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