Dr. Prem Datta Bharadwaj passed away peacefully on October 19, 2022 at age 91 in Plano, Texas. He is survived by his wife of 73 years, Vidya Wati (Sharma), 4 children: Rakesh, Rajnesh (Suman), Vidhu Eranki (Sasidhar) and Sudhakar (Medha) and 7 grandchildren: Rajiv, Annu (Ashok), Amit, Lori, Nina, Anuj and Shivani.
Dr. Bharadwaj was born on May 20th, 1931, in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India and married on February 14, 1949. A lifelong academician, Dr. Bharadwaj was very dedicated to furthering science, education, and religion. He earned a Bachelor of Science from NREC College Khurja (Agra University) with merit in 1950 and then a Master of Science in Physics with 1st Division and 1st Position from Agra College, Agra (Agra University) in 1952. He then joined B.R. College Agra as an assistant professor of physics, where he remained for two years before working for another two as a physics lecturer at GPIC Tehri Garhwal. Dr. Bharadwaj transferred to Government College Meerut, where he served as a lecturer in physics for three years. He then returned to B.R. College Agra as an assistant professor of physics for one year.
Dr. Bharadwaj came to the United States in 1960 as a graduate assistant in the Physics Department at SUNY Buffalo. He was appointed as Assistant Professor of Physics at Niagara University in 1962. His Ph.D. was confirmed in 1964, when he was promoted to the position of Associate Professor of Physics.
In 1966 he was promoted to the position of Professor of Physics and continued working in that role until 2007. He served as Chairman of the Physics Department for 10 years, from 1976 to 1986. He retired from Niagara University in 2007 after 45 years of educating countless students. Dr. Bharadwaj was a devout Hindu and a very strong Sai Baba devotee and spent many hours at temples and religious gatherings. Dr. Bharadwaj co-founded the Hindi Samaj of Greater Buffalo in 1986 and the India Association of Buffalo in 1961 and was honored by it in 1997.
A member of the American Physical Society, he has contributed to numerous written works throughout the course of his career, including "Intermediate Agriculture Physics and Climatology," which he co-authored in 1954. He was a consultant to the National Science Foundation from 1966-1971, evaluating undergraduate programs and research grants for all universities and colleges in the U.S. A sterling example of skill in his field, he has won many awards for his stellar work, such as the Rajiv Gandhi National Unity Award for Excellence from the government of India in 1995 and the Hind Rattan (Jewel of India) Award the same year. Also, he was named International Man of the Year by the American Biographical Institute in 1999 and was featured in the 6th through 8th editions of Who's Who in American Education, the 4th through 11th editions of Who's Who in Science and Engineering, the 53rd through 70th editions of Who's Who in America, the 39th through 43rd editions of Who's Who in the East, and the 16th through 33rd editions of Who's Who in the World. Dr. Bharadwaj was also included in other publications including "2,000 Outstanding Scientists of the 20th and 21st Century" and "500 Leaders of Influence" by IBC, Cambridge, England, "2,000 Outstanding People of the 20th and 21st Century, " and "2,000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 20th and 21st Century" by IBC, Cambridge, England. Dr. Bharadwaj was also listed in "1,000 Leaders of World Influence" by the American Biographic Institute" in 2000 and was chosen for appointment to the Research Board of Advisors in 2000.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Niagara University’s scholarship fund can be offered on behalf of Dr. Prem Datta Bharadwaj at: