Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75

Sudha S Narayana Rao, PhD

Co-founder & Executive Director, Genotypic Technology Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru
Founder-Director, Dhitiomics Technologies, Bengaluru

Sudha Rao is a genomics scientist-cum-entrepreneur with three decades of
experience in genomics and developing genomics applications in diagnostics,
rare diseases and other areas related to human health.

Iwas born and brought up in Mysuru Having received sufficient training and I was lucky that I faced no specific chal-
in a family that prided itself as much exposure to genomics, a burning desire lenges as a woman much until I had
in its contribution to engineering to return to India and start a company embarked on a journey as an entre-
and science as patrons of music. My that could enable researchers to have preneur. The time and focus required
father promised us to give us the gifts easy access to technologies in biological to raise two boys alongside being a
of education and independent careers. research led me to establish Genotypic first-generation entrepreneur with
My siblings, especially my sister Latha, Technology, the first in India, in part- no strategic financial back-up was
contributed to establishing business nership with Raja Mugasimangalam, challenging.
processes at my company. Meena PhD. Genotypic, which started as a
Vaidyanatha, my friend and colleague at home office, was later incubated at IISc Every individual, woman or man,
various stages of my profession, helped Bengaluru under the mentorship of deserves to pursue her/his passion—
me sail through rough patches and take Prof. Brahamachari and in collaboration small or big. Be a judge of yourself; don’t
sound decisions. My mother, my spouse, with Prof. Parag Sadhale. I was a visiting let others judge you and embrace your
my supportive boys, family and friends scientist at IISc then. In 2005, a collab- own leadership style. Leading requires
were always there during all the difficult oration with Agilent Technologies pro- conviction, energy, resilience. Make your
times of my career. pelled Genotypic to the next scale and choices on where you will spend your
it became the genomics company to go time and energy, follow your instinct.
My professional mentors, including to for any researcher in India.
Prof. S Krishnaswamy, with whom I pub- STEM fields demand time and effort
lished my first research paper in bioin- Be a judge of yourself, spent on reasonable basic education.
formatics; Steven Goldman, PhD, my don’t let others judge you and Know and anticipate the constraints
postdoctoral supervisor; my PhD super- embrace your own leadership style you might face as a woman in STEM,
visor V Sekar and Prof. K Dharmalingam and use it to manoeuvre through your
from Madurai Kamraj University; and My second stint at entrepreneurship career, but do not let that stop you from
Prof. Samir Brahmachari, all helped me was with Dhitiomics in 2014. It was pursuing your dream. A support system
craft my career in different ways. started to address precision diagnos- that provides for childcare during the
tics. This has been a rewarding journey critical early years, ensuring at least a
After completing my post-doctoral of over six years, having enabled diag- minimum representation of women in
studies in the United States, I moved to nostics for a wide spectrum of patients universities and teaching is among a
Quark Pharma, a biopharma company with rare diseases who would otherwise few important initiatives that will help
in Israel that was working on identifying spend years to get one. retain women in STEM careers. 
and understanding antisense RNA for
potential use in human therapeutics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Academic Profile
The brief stint in Israel exposed me to Genotypic undertook benchmark-
the world of start-ups. ing of several kits and reagents and ƒƒ BSc, Yuvaraja’s College, Mysuru
sequenced the SARS-CoV2 genome
 Know and anticipate the con- of Indian patients in collaboration with ƒƒ MSc Botany, University of Mysore
straints you might face as a woman ICMR labs. As part of collaboration with
in STEM. IGIB, New Delhi, my company trained ƒƒ PhD in Molecular Biology, Madurai
and deployed Nanopore sequencing Kamaraj University
 Make your choices on where you technology for rapid sequencing of the
will spend your time and energy; SARS-CoV-2 genome. We also enabled ƒƒ Post-doctoral research in Neurobiology,
follow your instinct. the testing and launch of the Feluda Cornell Medical School, US
CriSpR assay of IGIB for COVID diag-
 Leading requires conviction, nostics through a collaboration with Awards
energy, resilience. TATA Medical and Diagnostics Ltd.
ƒƒ Smt. Chandaben M Patel VASVIK
Award for Women Scientists (Chemical
Science & Technology), 2019

ƒƒ SAP Ace 2010 Award for Best Run
Business

Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 151

Tripti Bhatnagar, PhD

Founder & Managing Director, Codon Biotech Pvt. Ltd., Noida

Tripti Bhatnagar is an entrepreneur in biotechnology
skill development space. She has rich experience in R&D,
manufacturing, contract research and skill development.

My father, Arvind Bhatnagar, providing skill development and place- I have experienced that many men
PhD, encouraged me to pur- ment to college students. We man- and clients do not take you seriously
sue my dreams. While working ufacture and market cost-effective enough to do business with. This was
as head and associate professor in a adulteration detection kits and we one of the challenges I faced in my pro-
college, I saw that in the biotechnology have memoranda of understanding fessional journey as a woman. However,
field, students are not offered proper with different universities for research with conviction and demonstrating
practical skills and hands-on exper- and academic purposes. your expertise to people, you can easily
imentation, and as a result, colleges overcome these issues. Always believe
were and are churning out unskilled Always believe in yourself in yourself and your vision. Be passion-
science graduates and post-graduates. and your vision. ate and determined in your choice, as
This is making it difficult for students biotechnology is a tough subject to suc-
to get placed in the industry, institutes I have received appreciation from ceed in.
and laboratories. a number of different government
and private colleges, universities and To promote women in STEM, special
Being motivated and inspired by this departments for conducting skill devel-
situation, I started Codon Biotech, opment workshops. I was among the teams should be made consisting of
a company which manufactures and top ten women entrepreneurs selected
markets cost-effective practical kits for depicting research work and got empowered women, who could go to
for students to perform and learn appreciation from Union Minister of
in their laboratories. Codon Biotech Science and Technology Dr Harsh universities and colleges and encour-
also provides hands-on skill and Vardhan on Women’s Day in2018. My
experimentation work in its state- company was selected as a skill devel- age and motivate women to innovate
of-the-art labs where students are opment company to offer industrial
encouraged to use all equipment training through the Biotech Industrial and opt for related careers. The gov-
themselves and get skilled in their Training Programme (BITP) of the
field. Department of Biotechnology (DBT) ernment should then promote and fund
for six years.
We have completed two government the selected groups of women from dif-
projects related to waste conversion There are a lot of shortcomings in
to economically important products schools and college education: First, ferent universities to develop new pro-
without the help of any institute or STEM, being experimental in nature,
college. We are highly effective in should be mostly experienced by con- cesses and products and help them in
ducting experiments and not just by
 Be passionate and determined in directly teaching and writing on the setting up business ventures. 
your choice. board.
Academic Profile
 Most students leave biology Most students leave STEM, mainly
because it is taught in a very bor- biology, because it is taught in a very ƒƒ BSc & MSc, MS University, Vadodara
ing and unexciting way. boring and unexciting way. Teachers
should motivate and create excitement ƒƒ PhD, Indian Agricultural Research
 Teachers should motivate and and passion in students through exper- Institute, New Delhi
create excitement and passion in iments and real-time procedures and
students through real-time proce- training. Awards
dures and training.
ƒƒ IARI Gold Medal, Outstanding
Academic & Research Performance
in PhD

ƒƒ The Best Biotech Company Award
for Codon Biotech, Zee Business &
Achievers India Ltd.

ƒƒ Women Entrepreneur of the
Year Award, Delhi Management
Association.

ƒƒ Distinguished Bio-Entrepreneur
2020, Microbiologists Society,
India

Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 152



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