After completing BSc. in Mathematics and Statistics from the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College, Udupi in 1968, Prof. Rao obtained his Master's degree in Statistics (M.Stat) and Diploma in Computer Science from Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata in 1970. He also completed the Associateship in Documentation (1975) course from DRTC of the Indian Statistical Institute. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 1981 (Thesis was in the area of Bibliometrics.)

He joined Documentation Research and Training Centre (DRTC) of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Oct. 1970. Since June 1987, he is working as Professor at DRTC.

Prof. Rao is also the Chief Editor and the Editor of the COLLNET Journal of Scientometrics and Information Management and SRELS Journal of Information Management respectively.

He is a Fellow of the Society for Information Science, New Delhi (since 1996).