Kulkarni obtained his undergradute degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and his PhD from UC Berkeley. He served a brief period as a postdoc at UC Berekely and Caltech before joining the faculty rank at Caltech in 1987.
Prof. Kulkarni's primary interests are the study of compact objects (neutron stars and gamma-ray bursts) and cosmic explosions. He is keenly interested in developing or refining astronomical methodologies.
His awards include NSF's Alan T. Waterman Prize of the NSF, a fellowship from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, a Presidential Young Investigator award from the NSF, the Helen B. Warner award of the American Astronomical Society, the Janksy Prize of Associated Universities, Inc, the Dan David Prize and the Shaw Prize.
Kulkarni is a fellow or member of the following learned societies: the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the Royal Society of London, the US National Academy of Sciences, Indian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).
Detailed CV and Bibliograph can be found here