R. Raghavan is a professionally qualified chemist with a doctorate (PhD) in Inorganic chemistry and AMIIM (Metallurgical Engineering equivalent) from the Indian Institute of Metals, Kolkata, and obtained a Certificate from Lifelong Centre of University of Tartu on the Estimation of Measurement Uncertainty in Chemical Analysis in 2014. He has been associated with Hindustan Zinc Limited, a prime producer of primary strategic non-ferrous metals such as zinc, lead, cadmium, and silver for nearly 35 years, and was associated as Technical Assessor with the NABL. He published 5 books and 40 papers to his credit. He is a Life Member of professional bodies such as the Indian Institute of Metals, Kolkata, and the Indian Society of Analytical Scientists, Mumbai.