Rajendra Kumar Pachauri (born 20 August 1940) was the chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 2002 until 2015, during which time the organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He is director general of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute), an independent research organisation providing knowledge on energy, environment, forestry, biotechnology, and the conservation of natural resources and chancellor of TERI University.

Dr Pachauri is a prominent researcher on environmental subjects, recognised internationally for his efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change. He has also been appointed as Director, Yale Climate and Energy Institute from July 2009. He is active in several international forums dealing with the subject of climate change and its policy dimensions.

He was awarded the second-highest civilian award in India, the 'Padma Vibhushan' in January 2008 by the President of India and received the 'Officier De La Légion D’Honneur' from the Government of France in 2006.