Mitali Mukerji, PhD
Professor & Head, Department of Bioscience & Bioengineering
Faculty, School of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (AIDE), IIT Jodhpur
Adjunct Professor, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad
Mitali Mukerji spearheaded genomics research in India with the Indian Genome
Variation Consortium and is known for her pathbreaking work in hereditary
ataxia and Ayurgenomics, a new field combining Ayurveda and genomics.
My initial inspiration to take up sci- A major talent pool exists that are different career planning needs if
ence as a profession came from can be tapped to full potential if one wants to take up a pure academic
my master’s thesis supervisor alternative solutions are created route, industry job, entrepreneurship or
Dr Srinivasan at the Indian Agricultural science education and communication.
Research Institute. I developed my sci- for women participation and Planning needs to be done keeping
entific temper during my PhD under engagement in STEM. family decisions in picture.
mentorship of Prof. S Mahadevan in
IISc Bengaluru. Several teachers, family In my collaborative research spanning We need to plan novel and innovative
members, friends, colleagues and PhD over 20 years with AIIMS New Delhi work spaces for women to be able to
students also influenced me. and NIMHANS Bengaluru in clinically address two-body relocation challenges
and genetically heterogeneous hered- in a more comprehensive manner. A
Unlike my peers, I wanted to start my itary ataxias, our group has been able major talent pool exists that can be
career in India working on a problem to develop an algorithm for genetic tapped to full potential if alternative
that is relevant to the country. A chance diagnostic for rare diseases in Indian solutions are created for women partici-
meeting with Prof. Samir K Brahmachari, population based on our experience pation and engagement in STEM. These
who was moving to Delhi to initiate in spinocerebellar ataxias. Ataxia is a would be long-term and sustainable.
genomics in the country, sealed my fate. group of disorders that affect coordina-
Indian scientists were hesitant to take up tion, balance and speech. For the first In STEM education, we did not have so
genomics then. Under his mentorship, time, we carried out exome sequencing much digitised information and teach-
I have been part of different initiatives to in uncharacterised cases and identified ing aids available earlier. So acces-
transform India into a self-reliant nation novel mutations in reported as well as ing information and knowledge were
in genomics and enabling diagnostics novel genes associated with ataxia. This treated equally. Now the challenge
and precision medicine. has led to development of targeted is how to synthesise the information
panel of ataxia. AIIMS has an ataxia clinic and build knowledge. There has to be
My research interest is in the broad area and the diagnostic algorithm developed more emphasis on getting the teachers
of genome variations and their effect on through our initiative has been useful in trained in novel and innovative peda-
human genome organisation and function. classifying over 5,000 families that have gogical methods. Curiosity-driven.
I have been the convener of the Indian been referred to AIIMS from different
Genome Variation Consortium project, parts of the country. Academic Profile
which provided the first comprehensive
genetic landscape of Indian populations. My professional journey as a woman Bsc Zoology, Botany, Chemistry,
My lab has identified informative markers has been rather smooth after joining University of Allahabad
that link to health and disease states. We Institute of Genomics and Integrative
also initiated a new and challenging area, Biology.. Msc Molecular Biology & Biotechnology,
Ayurgenomics, which was perceived with IARI, New Delhi
much scepticism and posed a problem Women who wish to lead must start
in attracting students, peer participation with identifying the right role models PhD in Developmental Biology &
and growth in its early years. and mentors as the first prerequisite. Genetics Laboratory, IISc, Bengaluru
Second is a continuous upgrading of
Women who wish to lead must skills and competence. Third is time Awards
start with identifying the right role management in terms of when to do
models and mentors. what and how to prioritise things in life. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in
Medical Sciences, 2010
The major mistake we often make is My first advice is to identify what is
becoming influenced by peer pres- your calling and what you like to do Kirtan Sanjeevani Pushpalata Ranade
sure and societal pressures. most effortlessly. For instance, there National Award for Women in Research,
2017
VASVIK Award for Woman Scientist, 2016
Pandit Shiv Nath Sharma Shodh
Puruskar for Research in Ayurveda, 2012
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 51
Munia Ganguli, PhD
Senior Principal Scientist
CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi
Munia Ganguli is a nano-biotechnologist. Her research focus is designing
and developing new nanomaterials with potential biomedical applications.
Iwas born and brought up in Kolkata both for discussions on our work plan Policies aimed at encouraging women in
and have been working and staying and for access to whatever facility we STEM careers have to start with remov-
in the Delhi-NCR region for the past did not possess then. Those journeys, ing obvious and hidden bias and work-
20 years. My father, who worked as a literally and figuratively, have been very ing on the premise of equal opportunity.
scientist in Kolkata, has been my prime instrumental in shaping the growth of This should start with hiring of more
inspiration and propelled me towards my lab. women scientists and promoting them
pursuing research. My mother, who con- in due course so that there are ade-
tinues to work as a teacher, has always In the beginning, setting up a new quate women at senior positions of deci-
encouraged me to dream big and take research lab and building a new fam- sion-making. Inclusive policies aimed at
up a challenging career. While growing ily in parallel was a big challenge. wider presence of women in scientific
up, I would often meet my extended However, I have been lucky to have conferences or a re-look at eligibility
family, many of them being researchers had understanding co-workers and criteria for grants and fellowships to
across diverse disciplines. Engaging in supportive family members. It is crucial ensure higher participation from women
conversations with such intellectuals at for women to establish domestic sup- are necessary. It is also important to take
a young age provided me with valuable port systems so that house-work does special care that apparently encourag-
exposure and instilled the excitement not become their sole responsibility ing measures for women should not end
in me to consider a career in scientific and they can ensure work-life balance up being exclusionary for them.
research. Some of my teachers who as well as excel at work. With time, as
taught me during my masters and PhD more administrative responsibilities In addition, I strongly feel that STEM
days have been a big influence as well. came my way, the challenge has been
to ensure that my voice is heard and my courses need to be designed in a more
Research may be compared with a opinion is counted.
roller -coaster ride with high points imaginative manner than they currently
and low spots, but each situation is It is crucial for women to establish
either driven or followed by the thrill domestic support systems so that are. The focus on rote learning needs
of discovery and anticipation of new
knowledge. Every experience–be it a house-work does not become to be reduced. A large component of
failed experiment, an intense scientific their sole responsibility and they
discussion with a colleague or a won- hands-on research, more of presenta-
derful talk that I heard from the best can ensure work-life balance
in the field—has shaped my profes- as well as excel at work. tion and discussion on ideas, encour-
sional growth. In the early days, when
we were low on resources but high on Being a woman leader is a big oppor- aging critical thinking and learning how
enthusiasm, my first PhD student and tunity to make changes in both policies
I would travel to various labs in Delhi and mindsets, and create more gen- to frame research questions need to
der-balanced workspaces. Changing
It is important to believe in your- mindset is a harder task and it is import- start early on. Visits to research labs
self and not get too influenced by ant to have frequent formal and infor-
multiple opinions. mal conversations around the role of and interaction with researchers need
women at the workplace.
Encouraging measures for women to be amped up for school and college
in workplaces should not end up It is important to believe in yourself and
being exclusionary for them. not get too influenced by multiple opin- students. These might ignite interest in
ions.It is important to stay on course;
Visits to research labs and inter- every year may not be extremely pro- the young minds and hopefully attract
action with researchers need to be ductive in terms of securing grants or
amped up for school and college getting new insights. But it is imperative more students towards STEM.
students. to not give up and not only seize every
opportunity that comes your way, but Academic Profile
also create new ones for yourself.
BSc & MSc Chemistry, Jadavpur
University, Kolkata
PhD in Solid state Chemistry, Indian
Institute of Science, Bengaluru
Awards
SERB-POWER Fellowship, 2021,
Department of Science and Technology
National Bioscience Award for Career
Development, 2012, Department of
Biotechnology
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 52
Nabamita Banerjee, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Indian Institutes of Science
Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal
Ex-Assistant professor at Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science
(IACS), Kolkata, and IISER Pune
Nabamita Banerjee is a theoretical high energy physicist. Her
primary research interests are study of black holes, symmetry,
gravity in lower dimensions and fluid dynamics.
Iwas born and brought up in Siliguri With such positive support and my I do not think that there are any short-
in northern West Bengal. I com- interest in physics, I have more than
pleted my education up to the 40 research articles published in comings in how STEM is being taught.
post-graduate level from the same peer-reviewed journals. I have men-
city. My parents and my teachers tored five PhD students and many The problem lies afterwards, where
have always been my support. For master’s degree students. In addition,
this particular field, I have to take the I have mentored four post-doctoral the job market is not that open for
name of Prof. Nikhelesh Kar, without fellows.
whom this journey would have never women. Of course some myths like
been possible. Later, mentors like I have always tried to be honest
Prof. Ashoke Sen, Prof. Dillep Jatkar, with my profession and have “STEM is too hard for women” are
Prof. Debashis Ghosal, Prof. Biswarup given my cent per cent to
Mukherjee, Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar, every job assigned to me. false and successful women from the
Prof. Sumathi Rao and Prof. Srubabati
Goswami inspired me. My students, I have not faced many barriers. Only field should do as much outreach as
colleagues and family are my strength a couple of times, I was denoted
now and support me in moving for- as someone’s wife, but that phase possible to change this perception.
ward to make new strides in my passed soon. Of course, being a
research life. mother brings new challenges in life, The government and the private sec-
but I do not think of it as a barrier;
It was one of my teachers at school it is rather a phase of life where one tor must have policies to provide some
who influenced me and helped in tak- needs a lot of balance between work
ing a decision to study physics in an and life. I have been fortunate to get relaxation in age limit for all possible
honours degree course, instead of support from my parents and family to
choosing a technical or engineering deal with personal issues and to get funding schemes, awards and fel-
field. Prof. Kar inspired me to take up support from all my colleagues and
fundamental research and pursue a students to deal with professional lowships to attract and retain more
PhD. My physicist husband Suvankar issues. From my side, I have always
Dutta, PhD, encouraged me to take up tried to be honest with my profession women into STEM careers. National-
String Theory for studying black holes and have given my cent per cent to
as my research topic. every job assigned to me. level PhD and post-doctoral fellow-
The road to STEM careers is Women researchers need to be always ships for women will be helpful. I am
not smooth, but it is certainly not ready to deliver, irrespective of the
impossible to walk on it. difficulty of the situation. With strong also in support of reservation in job
determination, nothing is impossible.
Myths like “STEM is too hard for Sometimes, life tests you with varied positions to stop women from leaving
women” are false. situations and challenges., Do not give
up. The road to STEM careers is not STEM.
Successful women researchers smooth, but it is certainly not impossi-
should do as much outreach as ble to walk on it. Academic Profile
possible to encourage young girls
in STEM. BSc & MSc, North Bengal University
PhD, Homi Bhabha National Institute,
Mumbai, & Harish Chandra Research
Institute, Prayagraj
Post-doctoral Studies, ITP Utrecht
and Nikhef, Amsterdam
Fellowships
FOM fellowship, Institute for
Theoretical Physics, Utrecht,
The Netherlands
Veni Grant, Dutch Research Council
Ramanujan Fellowship, Science and
Engineering Research Board, India
ICTP Associateship, Abdus Salam
International Centre for Theoretical
Physics, Italy
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 53
Nandita Narayanasamy, PhD
Associate Professor, Sri Venkateswara College,
University of Delhi
Nandita Narayanasamy is an educator who uses research as
a pedagogical tool for enhancing teaching and make learning
an experiential, fun and holistic experience.
Iwas born in Bengaluru, Karnataka, During my PhD, I worked on the role We need to make the teaching and
but spent most of my formative of dietary lipids on immune responses learning process more experiential,
student life in Vadodara, Gujarat. I using mice as a model system. My guide discussion-based and interactive.
loved science, particularly chemistry, and role model, Prof. Tara Mehta, gave Students have information overload
right from my school days and wanted me absolute freedom to explore and and that has led to a lack of imagina-
to take up an honours course in my design my experiments. She taught me tion, innovation and creativity. Students
undergraduate studies. This dream of that we learn best from failure, and that can’t think; if they have a doubt, they
mine was shattered when I did not get I think is so true. I received constant need to be encouraged to process the
the required percentage in my Std. XII support and encouragement from my concepts and arrive at a logical answer
examination to qualify for the chemis- husband during my PhD and he urged rather than accessing the internet
try course. I had no choice but to take me to take up a job as a lecturer. for the answer. Teachers now have to
admission in BSc (Hons) in home sci- guide students on how to use tech-
ence, graduating in food and nutrition. Apart from education, women need nology fruitfully and judiciously. We
My parents offered solid support to me emotional and social support need to shift our teaching to be more
and always bolstered my spirit that had as well to be empowered. problem-solving, analytical based and
been shattered by my poor result. My multidisciplinary.
father, Prof A.R.Krishnamurthy, was I still remember the fear and nervous-
the first person who told me that marks ness for my first class for teaching The position of women in STEM is a sen-
and position don’t define your knowl- postgraduate biochemistry students
edge and conceptual understanding, at MSU in 1989. I am still surprised how sitive and long -standing issue. Indian
and I carry his philosophy to date. the whole feeling vanished completely
when I started teaching. I knew I had girls are at times in a difficult position as
In hindsight, I feel blessed that this life- found my place and have never regret-
event happened as I got some stellar ted taking up teaching as a profession. their social and emotional mentoring is
teachers who ignited my interest in bio- I moved to Delhi’s Sri Venkateswara
chemistry and encouraged me to apply College in 1995 where I transformed grossly overlooked. On one hand, edu-
for the much-famed MSc programme and grew as a teacher.
in biochemistry at the Maharaja cation has broadened their views, but
Sayajirao University (MSU), Baroda. It I feel that education is all-encompass-
was during my post-graduation years ing and cannot be bound by the barrier they are not able to reconcile with soci-
that my passion for biochemistry,par- of a single discipline. Thus, I endeavour
ticularly nutrition and immunology, was to make my classes an experience in etal expectations and feel pressured
strengthened. which the students are also exposed
to the nuances of science, society, and stressed. Education is just one
Marks and position don’t define culture and creativity. I believe STEM
your knowledge and conceptual education should be an amalgamation support. To be empowered, women
understanding. of a variety of enjoyable experiences
that challenge the student to become need social and emotional support as
Teach from the heart and make a skilled, informed, creative and sen-
learning holistic, fun and sitive human capable of independent well. We need to have more women as
experiential. thought and action. On the other hand,
I use research as a pedagogical tool mentors to ensure that young women in
Teaching-learning process should that improves the conceptual under-
be more experiential, discus- standing of science for a student. STEM and women researchers have a
sion-based and interactive.
smoother professional journey as they
meet success.
Academic Profile
BSc (Hons) Home Science
MSc & PhD in Biochemistry, MS
University, Vadodara
Awards & Fellowships
Best Teacher Award from Indian
National Science Academy
CSIR-UGC Fellowship
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 54
Neeldhara Misra, PhD
Associate Professor, Smt. Amba and Sri V S Sastry Chair
Associate Dean for External Communications, IIT Gandhinagar
Neeldhara Misra explores the interplay of structural graph theory and
graph algorithms; tools and techniques in parameterized complexity
and computational perspectives on combinatorial games.
Reading the biography of Paul I have actually been rather lucky in not ‘girls don’t code’, or ‘it takes a genius to
Erdös, The Man Who Loved facing any discrimination in my career; be a researcher’—just get started. If you
Only Numbers written by Paul everyone has been extremely support- have strong instincts or a natural talent
Hoffman, was an influential chapter ive. Something I chose to do a little less for the subject, that’s great, and if not,
in my life as a college student. It got than many of my peers was traveling to you’ll learn anyway. All it takes is time,
me interested in combinatorics, and conferences and workshops and I don’t patience and some guidance at appro-
I was also drawn towards research as think my choices in this context have priate stages.
described in the book. A textbook limited my access to opportunities in
called Concrete Mathematics reaf- any way. Policy must aim at reducing the dispar-
firmed this preliminary interest, and I ities by creating opportunities specific
started seriously thinking about higher If you face unfair scenarios, to women
studies after encountering these two stand up for what is right.
books. in ways that encourage them to come
Much of my research focuses on iden- into the STEM fields. While awards
I received amazing mentorship from tifying if we can identify some useful and recognitions at the higher level are
my PhD advisors, Prof. Venkatesh workarounds in this backdrop. In partic- helpful to create women role models,
Raman and Prof. Saket Saurabh. The ular, my work focuses on the design of I think doing more at the earlier stages
overall environment at the Institute algorithms for hard problems that work of the pipeline would be helpful as well.
for Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), well in practice, in spite of the theoret-
Chennai, was quite conducive to free- ical verdict of intractability. I work on Women pursuing leadership roles
wheeling discussion. The initial feeling abstractions of questions that come up
of vulnerability wore off rather quickly, in various application scenarios, includ- have to devote time, energy and over-
with all the encouragement that I expe- ing computational biology, preference
rienced. There were also plenty of aggregation and VLSI layouts. all mind space. You must be clear
opportunities to collaborate both
within IMSc and beyond, which was I am a part of the ACM-W India about what a specific role entails and
not only valuable in terms of technical Council, and we run an annual event
learning, but also in building perspec- called the ‘Grad Cohort’ to help whether that’s aligned with your tem-
tive and boosting intellect. During my women computer science scholars) in
post-doctoral years at IISc, I was men- graduate schools discuss their issues perament and motivation. Once you’re
tored by Prof. Narahari, and his con- and connect with mentors beyond
stant guidance and insights have been their immediate circles. I’ve also been convinced of the fit, give the pursuit
valuable ever since. involved in organising several work-
shops to help students get exposure and the execution your cent per cent
Your resources are valuable, to research in computer science while
and you should pick your battles they are in college. effort. If you face unfair scenarios,
carefully.
If you are a woman researcher, don’t let stand up for what is right. Recognise
Ignore the typical stereotypes anyone tell you what you can or cannot
that hold women back and just get do. I cannot speak for every enterprise, that your resources.
started. but I do believe that anyone can be a
computer scientist armed with her Academic Profile
Policy must aim at reducing the curiosity and willingness to put in the
disparities by creating opportuni- rigour. Ignoring the typical stereotypes BSc Computer Science, Mathematics
ties specific to women. that hold women back—for example and Statistics, Mount Carmel
College, Bengaluru
MSc, PhD, Institute for Mathematical
Sciences, Chennai
Research Fellow, Department of
Computer Science & Automation,
IISc, Bengaluru
Awards & Fellowship
INAE Young Engineer Award
DST-Inspire Faculty Fellowship
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 55
Neha Sardana, PhD
Assistant Professor, IIT Ropar & Former Assistant Professor, IIT Jodhpur
Former Scientist, Institute of Nano Science & Technology (INST), Mohali
Neha Sardana is a material science researcher who creates new devices and
develops metamaterials for antenna applications and high temperature materials.
Ihave been brought up all over India and I carried out tasks like compeer- persistent, brave, stand tall and speak
and have changed several schools as ing at conferences and events that up. If you love creating materials, met-
my father was in a transferrable job. nobody else took, but it really helped allurgical and materials engineering is a
Inspiration came as encouragement by me develop a rapport with my peers, wonderful field; so just dive in and you
my mathematics teachers at school. meet new people and build research will fall in love with it.
The person who inspired me to stay in collaborations and permanent scien-
materials and metallurgy was late Prof. tific friends. My husband, in-laws and India’s paradigm has shifted to nuclear
Vijaya Aggarwal. She encouraged me to parents supported and encouraged me families and working parents, and so
opt for a six- month semester exchange to join IIT Jodhpur after leaving INST for the first few years after childbirth,
programme at KTH-Sweden (Bergs) even though I would be far from home. women and men should be given an
during my BTech and also pushed me to option for more flexible working hours
apply abroad for masters and PhD. She I always wanted to return to India after or work from home options, mak-
also instilled in me the desire to come completing my studies. However, when ing it more inclusive for new parents.
back to India and work in the materials I started applying for jobs, I was nei- Educational day care facilities in prox-
domain. ther shortlisted in any engineering col- imity to the workplace can be a great
lege due to my PhD in science, nor in enabler for women professionals.
Daily motivation from my father was a universities or IISERs due to my BTech
major source of inspiration. My father degree. I realised I did not fall in the STEM needs more role models and
always encouraged me to observe my single degree line science or engineer-
surroundings and made physics and ing. Thus, job hunting was a test of time needs positive publicity. At schools
mathematics fun. My mother, a teacher, for me. It was the strong alumni affilia-
persuaded me to be fully independent tions, flexibility of the IIT system and and universities, it needs to be more
and take up a career in education. She interdisciplinary institutes that helped
has been my role model for being a life- me grab a job. engaging and encouraged by hands-on
long learner. When I enrolled in BTech,
she enrolled in LLB, which set an exam- If you love creating materials, learning, both for experimentation and
ple by showcasing thirst to gain knowl- metallurgical and materials
edge. Inspiration still comes by daily, engineering is a wonderful field, computation than only teaching theory.
from the inquisitiveness and questions so just dive in and you will
of my kid and students. Students should be allowed to come
fall in love with it.
I believe that one can’t connect the dots up with their own ideas to experiment
looking forward; you can only connect At work, I have been developing meta-
them looking backwards. My first job in materials for antenna applications and with. Outreach activities for integrating
India encouraged me to write projects high temperature materials, and device
development. I have made an air-purifi- schools with university and college labs
One can’t connect the dots look- cation device for volatile organic com-
ing forward; you can only connect pounds sequestration and patent filing may work wonders for promoting inter-
them looking backwards is under way. Since March 2020, our
group has been working on the combat est in STEM disciplines.
STEM needs more role models against COVID-19. We worked on an
and needs positive publicity indigenous BiPAP machine as a sub- Academic Profile
stitute of ventilators for non-serious
Educational day care facilities patients that can be made by anyone in BTech Metallurgical & Materials
in proximity to workplace can remote and rural areas. Engineering, IIT Roorkee
be a great enabler for women
professionals. I would advice next-gen women who MTech Materials & Manufacturing
wish to be in leadership roles to be Engineering, Technical University
of Denmark
PhD in Plasmonics, International Max
Planck Research Schools for S&T of
Nanostructures-MLU, Germany
Awards & Membership
IEI Young Engineers Award 2021-22,
Institution of Engineers, India.
Member of Indian National Young
Academy of Sciences
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 56
N Nishad Fathima, PhD
Senior Principal Scientist
CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), Chennai
Nishad Fathima is a leather technologist working on the fascinating structure of skin
and collagen. She loves to inspire school and college students through popular lectures.
Iwas born in Salem, Tamil Nadu, and home in Chennai. Little did I know then know about women achievers in STEM,
attended school and university in that it would become my passion and their career paths and their journeys to
Chennai. My parents have always future profession. understand how to overcome hurdles
been a pillar of support for me. They or handle a particular situation or main-
never stopped me from pursuing my As part of my research, I developed val- tain work-life balance.
dreams. They valued the concept of ue-added products from proteinaceous
women’s education in practice. My solid waste through the principal The government should undertake
mother had only a BSc degree when she understanding of protein assemblies. more efforts to generate awareness
married my father. My father, a true role My research group’s work on the use of on women-centric schemes, especially
model, supported her in pursuing MSc, designer and greener solvent ’ionic liq- to those who took a break due to mar-
BEd, MEd and MPhil after marriage. uids’ for leather processing is the first of riage and child birth. We need to have
its kind in the world. more ‘role models’ speaking about their
Someone who continues to always success stories to school and college
inspire me is T Ramasami, PhD, my Being a researcher has taught me to girls to encourage them to take up sci-
teacher, mentor and supervisor. It was embrace failures as scientific experi- ence. We must educate our society to
his teaching on the introductory course ments do fail a number of times before overcome inherent prejudices against
in leather technology that cultivated one tastes success. Repeated efforts women to seal the leaky pipeline.
my fascination for leather. He gifted and a ‘never ever give up’ attitude will
me a book for securing highest marks help you sail through the testing times Everything in our daily life involves sci-
in his subject with a note “I have higher that life throws at us. Keep pushing
expectations of you”. yourself and you will succeed. ence. If it is taught with this perspective
It is said we don’t choose our destiny; Being treated a little differently in mind then young students will study
our destiny chooses us. I wanted to as a woman hurts, but that should
be a doctor and selected math, phys- amplify your strength and push science with enthusiasm and excite-
ics, chemistry and biology in Std. XI.
However, destiny had other plans for you harder to prove yourself. ment. There are more women scientists
me. I shifted to computer science after
dropping biology in my intermediate On occasions, I have been made in biological sciences than other areas.
course. I chose leather technology in to remember that I am a woman.
BTech as I did not want to leave my Nevertheless, I have taken such STEM education must focus on efforts
remarks or situations in my stride,
A ‘never ever give up’ attitude will didn’t complain and have always moved to bust the myth that biology or certain
help you sail through the testing forward. Having a child is a major event
times that life throws at us. for any woman. It definitely holds you disciplines are more suited for girls.
back as priorities change. A positive
A positive attitude and support attitude and support from family help This way more girls can be inspired not
from family help women balance women balance childbearing respon-
childbearing responsibilities and sibilities and profession during the only to join other STEM fields, but also
profession. crucial phase of embracing maternity.
I have had my own share of sacrifices, be leaders in other areas.
We must educate our society to over- but I know they were worth it.
come inherent prejudices against Academic Profile
women to seal the leaky pipeline. Being treated a little differently as a
woman hurts, but that should amplify BTech (gold medalist), MTech
STEM education must focus on your strength and push you harder to (gold medalist), PhD in Leather
efforts to bust the myth that biol- prove yourself. I have always turned my Technology, Anna University, Chennai
ogy or certain disciplines are more challenges into opportunities. I would
suited for girls. recommend next-generation women to Awards & Fellowships
Tamil Nadu State Young Scientist
Award, 2017
SERB Woman Excellence Award, 2013
INSA Young Scientist Medal
(Engineering Sciences), 2011
INAE and IEI Young Engineer Award
INSA-DFG Visiting Scientist Fellowship
Fellow of Madras Science Foundation
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 57
Nishima Wangoo, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Chemistry
University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET),
Panjab University, Chandigarh
Former Project Scientist at National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali
Nishima Wangoo is a nanotechnologist who designs nanoparticles for multiple
applications and sensors for detection of heavy metals and other compounds.
My father has been and will be A woman’s journey is relatively filled Challenges also soared high when
my life-long inspiration. I have with exponentially higher barriers than I entered motherhood, especially after
imbibed strength and per- her male counterparts. I had to surpass my second child. It is a herculean task to
sistence from him, both of which are the difficulties thrown to me by others balance work and life, but it brings out
essential traits in my field. My mother in higher positions who could not avail a abilities in you which even you yourself
made me an independent woman, and grant at a young age like me. I endured were never aware of.
I cannot thank her enough for that. My and ignored a lot, focusing on my only
other key inspiration is late Prof. DVS aim of doing quality research. When Traditional methods of teaching STEM
Jain, who never actually guided me or I got a permanent position in an institute must be augmented with newer meth-
helped me directly, but listening to his where research was not the thrust area, odologies. Use of technology should be
life’s stories was a great source of moti- I was told that it would be the dead end exploited. As science progress, policies
vation. Interestingly, I was also inspired of my career. I actually proved it to be a must keep changing to stay in line with
by those who created problems in my ‘stepping stone’ instead. new advancements.
life as they gave me an opportunity to
discover my hidden strengths to face It is improper to give credit for I believe that we, as women, need to give
challenges. your hard work and talent to credit to other women. Mentoring girls
people who are your well-wishers is a starting point and I am doing all I can
Struggle has been my long-lasting and not a direct contributor to make a difference in the life of all the
friend as I never achieved anything in girl students who work with me. Quality
an easy manner. When I returned to to your academic work. creches and daycare facilities should be
India after completing my post-doc- there in every sector to support women
toral studies, I could clearly see the I was the first woman faculty from in their careers. I have also started a
subtle gender bias and conspicuous Panjab University to be selected for the forum called Women in Science (WISe)
nepotism in faculty selections. As I was membership of Indian National Young in collaboration with Panjab University
naïve, more often than not, I became a Academy of Sciences (INYAS) in 2021. In and INYAS. It is dedicated to encourag-
soft target of both. But my hard work a span of 10 years of starting my career, ing women to take up STEM as a career
could not be sidelined that easily. I have completed 10 research proj- and go forward with their dreams.
I was selected for the prestigious DST- ects and have two patents along with
INSPIRE faculty position-cum-grant in 57 high-impact research papers in inter- Academic Profile
2012 that boosted my confidence for national journals of repute. I was also
going on in STEM. I was able to start listed among the top 75 women in India MSc Chemistry, Panjab University,
my own research group and engage in in STEAM (STEM plus Arts) in March Chandigarh
meaningful and applied research. 2022 by the British High Commission-
Red Dot Foundation and the Office of PhD, Institute of Microbial Technology,
Credit and encouragement should the Principal Scientific Advisor to the CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh
be irrespective of gender. Government of India.
Post-doctoral Fellow, Nanyang
Sensitise both men and women As is quite common in our society, the Technological University, Singapore &
to take STEM as a gender-neutral credit of my success was often given Northwestern University, US
field. to my husband who is a supportive
life partner. As a professional, it is Awards & Memberships
Age relaxation for women candi- improper to give credit for your hard
dates should be seriously considered. work or talent to people who are your Smt. Prem Lata Jain Best Researcher
well-wishers and not a direct contribu- Award, 2019
Promote more women in deci- tor to your academic work. Credit and
sion-making committees at apex encouragement should be irrespective Best Researcher Award in Engineering
positions and in governing bodies. of gender. Sciences under PURSE Grant, 2018
Prof. UC Pant Memorial Award in
Chemistry, 2013
Member of INYAS, INSA
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 58
Niti Kumar, PhD
Senior Scientist, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow
Niti Kumar studies the genome and proteome signatures in
malaria parasite and her research explores the lead compounds
against drug -resistant malaria.
Iwas born and brought up in Delhi My lab is investigating critical parasite may be counter-productive at times.
and completed my schooling and genome (telomere homeostasis) and Network with people and be aware
university education in the city. My proteome (proteostasis) maintenance of emerging trends in the field and
science teachers in school played an pathways, and trying to understand upskill yourself continually.
important role in igniting curiosity how they give competitive edge to
about scientific discoveries and their the malaria parasite. My lab is also For STEM researchers, policy should
applications in our day-to-day life. involved in exploration of novel hits
My interest in biology and chemistry and lead compounds against drug-re- focus on creating more avenues of
attracted me to pursue studies in life sistant malaria and their probable
sciences. During my summer training mode of action. employment in mainstream research
and dissertation work, Souvik Maiti,
PhD, from the Institute of Genomics A researcher needs to be consistent, and alternative science careers for
and Integrative Biology (IGIB), who confident and keep looking for
later became my PhD supervisor, avenues and opportunities. both genders. This will help couples to
played an instrumental role in my
scientific training. I also met wonder- I have not encountered any chal- take up careers within the same city
ful people during this journey who lenges of gendered science; my
motivated me to take up a career in challenge is associated with my per- and help in maintaining the work-fam-
STEM. sonality, as I am usually trapped in a
vicious cycle of ‘self-doubt’. My sug- ily balance. Many a times, women
My PhD mentor used to say: “Diamond gestion would be not to let yourself
is a carbon crystal which forms under carried away by such feelings as it have to compromise on the kind of job
high pressure and temperature, and results in waste of time and mental
it sparkles when it is properly cut.” energy and dilutes the motivation they choose in STEM owing to family
This is the basis of my training, which towards your work. Further, I am
helped me evolve as a mature and unable to say no to academic house- reasons and geographical constraints.
competent researcher. Probably, this keeping and institutional work, which
pushed me to overcome professional results in too many responsibilities Regarding STEM education, both at
failures and consistently make efforts and tasks in my to-do list that causes
towards scientific endeavours. fatigue and burnout. Thus, be cau- the school and the university level,
tious that you are able to say no in
The journey of any researcher is ardu- certain circumstances and don’t end vast courses and diverse subjects are
ous, yet exciting, as you uncover what up biting what you cannot chew. For
is unknown in the realms of science. women in science, I have one simple covered without building proper con-
suggestion: Don’t be deterred by
Choose your battles cautiously challenges. cepts and practical knowledge. The
and invest your energy and time
carefully. A researcher needs to be consistent, evaluation process is marks-oriented
confident and keep looking for ave-
Upskill yourself continually. nues and opportunities. Be ready to that has resulted in erosion of con-
try new ideas and adapt to new set-
Be ready to try new ideas and tings. Choose your battles cautiously cept-based fundamental knowledge.
adapt to new settings. and invest your energy and time
carefully. Any journey begins with More practical teaching will help
Network with people and be aware small steps; thus being overambitious
of emerging trends in the field. understand the concepts and connect
different fields.
Academic Profile
BSc Microbiology, MSc Biomedical
Sciences, University of Delhi
PhD, CSIR-Institute of Genomics
and Integrative Biology, New Delhi
Awards & Fellowships
Swarnajayanti Fellowship, DST
SERB Women Excellence Award,
DST
Marie Curie Fellowship
EMBO Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Innovative Young Biotechnologist
Award, DBT
Young Scientist Award, INSA
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 59
Nitin Shukla Tiwari, PhD
Principal Scientist & Head, Intellectual Property Group
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory
NCL Innovations Advisor, Venture Centre, NCL’s tech business incubator
Nitin Shukla Tiwari is a registered Indian patent agent with 12 years
of experience in advising on intellectual property (IP) protection,
IP portfolio planning, management and value addition.
My journey from being a biomed- PhD students, research publications every opportunity. Females generally
ical researcher to an IP expert and sort of a predictable career and IPR feel undeserving or reluctant for lead-
has been inspired by a crucial was quite tough. After all IPR was a new, ership roles as also observed by Sheryl
event. My doctoral research focused uncertain arena in India. Sandberg, in her book Lean in. This book
on assessing prevalence of Taenia is a must read for all females so that they
solium (tapeworm) infections in north- Finally, I decided to choose IPR and be can identify, understand and manage
ern India. I realised that this problem at the helm of updates in cutting-edge the most common feeling of guilt. Our
was huge, but there were no sensitive science of several domains rather than society must learn not to turn females
and cost-effective diagnostic tools to focusing on one research theme. I fur- into guilty villains for being ambitious
detect such infections. So I decided to ther realised that IPR needs develop- while managing all aspects of life.
work on developing a diagnostic kit for ment of the ecosystem and workforce
tapeworm infection and apply for its training. Soon I started designing events Women have more commitments than
patent. However, during the process, and training courses that fulfilled the men in terms of child bearing and fam-
I discovered that as I had published desires of my inner academician as well. ily care. Females are oriented to be the
part of my work on the antigen of the IPR is a very fast-moving, but welcom- focal point of their families which leaves
kit, it barred patenting the same. This ing-all field; so do take a plunge, but lesser time for their professional focus
was an unexpected setback. Without a with full might. compared to their male colleagues.
patent, commercial production was not Thus, females must be given flexibility
possible. This mistake prompted me to Being treated a little differently of office hours, work from home options
dig deeper into learning the nuances of as a woman hurts, but that should when needed. Daycare facilities near
intellectual property rights. amplify your strength and push or within offices can help women cope
up with the demands of both office and
Prompted by the newly developed inter- you harder to prove yourself. family with least resistance.
est in IPR, I appeared for a competitive
call for Department of Science and I have been contributing towards STEM teaching should be more practical
Technology’s women scientist-C scheme, expanding the IP and patent filing foot- right at the school level and should be
which trains females with a science back- hold of NCL Pune and the Venture coupled with life and management skills
ground in IPR via an on-job training for 12 Centre. I have trained in IPR around at all levels. Further, students should
months. I joined the training programme. 500 researchers, academicians, engi- regularly undergo industrial training to
During the training, I spent some time in neers, students, start-up owners and make them understand requirements of
an IP consultancy firm, which exposed managers. I have also trained aspiring the industry and skillsets needed.
me to practical aspects of IP and sub- patent agents to help them qualify the
stantiated the feeling of sticking to the patent agent examination organised by Academic Profile
field. The choice between a wet lab with the Indian Patent Office.
BSc Zoology & Chemistry, MSc
Women must not be hesitant when My co-workers always understood my Zoology, University of Lucknow
they get a chance to be a leader in needs as a primary caregiver to my fam-
action— grab every opportunity ily and gave me flexibility in work sched- PhD in Biomedical Research, King
ule. Hence, I did not face any tough George’s Medical University, Lucknow
• Do not turn females into guilty experiences in my professional jour-
villains for being ambitious while ney. I, of course, had to limit my travels, Diploma in IPR, NALSAR University
managing all aspects of life. do day trips, and take offs when kids of Law, Hyderabad
needed while working until late nights.
Fellowships
• STEM teaching should be coupled I strongly feel that women must not be
with life and management skills at hesitant when they get a chance to be CRISP-Chevening Fellow, University
all levels. a leader in action; rather they must grab of Oxford
DST-IUSSTF Khorana Tech Transfer
Fellow
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 60
Equal opportunity for all de�nes our employee-friendly
ethos. Whether it's gender diversity, support to people
with disabilities, LGBTQ+-friendly policies and
forward-looking welfare measures for our people, it's
our way of strengthening India.
P Hemalatha Reddy, PhD
Advisory Member, Delhi Effective Education & Pedagogy Cluster
(DEEP-C) under the Delhi Science and Technology Cluster
Executive Council Member, Federation of Asian Biotech Association
Former Principal, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi
P Hemalatha Reddy is an expert in science education, administration
and science policy. Based in Hyderabad, she is involved in activities
pertaining to the start-up ecosystem in the pharma sector.
Iwas born and brought up in Chittoor college. These projects allowed my col- through the Federation of ASEAN Bio-
district of Andhra Pradesh. I was pas- lege faculty to get trained in conducting tech Association, Hyderabad.
sionate about science right from my research and writing projects.
early student years. One of my teachers At present, I am drawn to STEM educa-
during my undergraduate days saw the I faced many challenges, and learnt tion based on enquiry-based learning,
spark in me and identi-fied my passion from each step. I was the first woman and believe that the system of teaching
towards science. Though I studied zool- principal of Sri Venkateswara College. through rote learning should be discour-
ogy, botany and chemistry during my Being an academician, it was an unfa- aged. STEM teachers are instrumental
BSc, it was she who guided me to choose miliar experience to adapt to the role of for molding future generations, and as all
biochemistry for my master’s degree. administrator initially. I learnt that as a teachers are not trained in this aspect,
I started my career as an undergradu- team leader, I had to win the confidence there is a huge scope of empowering fac-
ate faculty and spent 22 years teach- of all stakeholders to achieve targets for ulty with new-age pedagogical tools. Our
ing biochemistry at Sri Venkateswara develop-ment and growth of my college. main aim should be to train them first to
College. I moved to administration later, I introduced research in the undergradu- bring a paradigm shift in teaching in tune
and served as the principal of the same ate course for the first time in my depart- with the New Education Policy 2020.
college from March 2009 to May 2020. ment to promote scientific curiosity and
enquiry-based learning. The decision was For women in leadership, two signifi-
In the beginning, I met some wonderful not appreciated by many and was scru- cant barriers are perception and appre-
people, such as Anil Kumar Tyagi, PhD, tinised through filtered glasses. However, hension. Barring those, I don’t think
who mentored me for un-dergraduate I survived these hiccups, and eventually anything else will affect. I have always
teaching and research. Towards the last achieved my goals for student and staff believed women are better manag-
few years of my service, I got associated training in science. As a task force mem- ers, experts in multitasking and sharp
with L S Shashidara, PhD, and contrib- ber of STAR college pro-gramme of the at time management. Motherhood
uted to science teaching at the national Department of Biotechnology, I contrib- and other social constraints can delay
and international levels. uted for a decade to the assessment of career advancement and productivity
colleges across India for financial sup- for a few years, but cannot stop women
My determination, hard work and per- port to set up science laboratories and from growing as leaders, if they have
severance have made me follow my to strengthen them. the will, convic-tion and determination.
heart’s calling. It was difficult at each
step; right from pursuing PhD after mar- Women are better managers, This is a golden age for women in sci-
riage to being the first-generation work- experts in multitasking and ence. Women of today come from the
ing woman in my family. My dream was sharp at time management. second generation of working women
to provide good training to students in in their families. They are bolder, con-
life sciences. My enthusiasm for bio- I designed various workshops and fac- fident and open to new ideas and
chemistry made me excel in teaching, ulty development programmes on life opportunities. And there are ample
and eventually led the way to secure sciences and developing peda-gogical opportunities. Therefore, young women
well-funded R&D projects for my tools to improve science education. I par- should never lose hope, and wisely and
ticipated in designing such programmes constructively utilise their time.
Perception and apprehension are on life skills and universal human val-
two key barriers for women leaders. ues for Heartfulness Education Trust, Academic Profile
Hyderabad, in collaboration with the All
Motherhood and other social con- India Council for Technical Education. BSc, Sri Satya Sai Women’s College,
straints can temporarily delay At present, I am engaged in train- Anantpur
career advancement and produc- ing undergraduate faculty in life sci-
tivity, but cannot stop women from ences through the Delhi Science and MSc Biochemistry, Andhra University
growing as leaders. Technology Cluster, and across Asia
PhD Medical Biochemistry,
Delhi University
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 62
P S Lakshmi Priya, PhD
Assistant Professor, Structural Engineering Laboratory
Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras
Lakshmi Priya worked as a bridge design engineer at Walter P Moore & Associates
in Houston, Texas. Her research at IITM revolves around pushing the boundaries
of structural design using steel.
Iwas born in Chennai and brought up understanding of design provisions in these events slow down your profes-
in Hyderabad where I spent most of codes is required. The desire of enabling sional growth. Work-from-home support
my childhood. I chose civil engineer- engineers to make more ‘impossi- for young mothers will go a long way in
ing simply out of my love for mechanics. ble’ structures and to make more stu- encouraging women into STEM careers.
I seriously started considering it as a dents envision the same pulled me into Private organisations can be advised to
career option after attending a summer research and academia from the industry. provide extended maternity leave up
camp at IIT Kanpur for civil engineering to a year (even if it is without pay) as an
students. My parents and elder brother The desire of enabling engineers to option for those women who are unable
inspired me to think independently and make more ‘impossible’ structures to find reliable and affordable child sup-
persuaded me to do better at every and to make more students envision port, and are forced to quit their jobs.
stage. My family members stood their the same pulled me into research Subsidised state-of-the-art day care
ground in supporting all my career deci- and academia from the industry. facilities could be provided in every gov-
sions, sometimes having to answer to ernment and private organisation.
the society on why their daughter was I conduct courses periodically for fac-
in a profession ‘unsuitable’ for women, ulty members of AICTE-approved col- It is fine to breathe when things are too
and why I was pursuing a PhD at such leges to disseminate knowledge to the hectic both on the professional and per-
a late age. My husband, through his next generation of civil engineering sonal fronts. But get ready to tackle pro-
infinite patience and emotional sup- students who do not have direct access fessional assignments head on as soon
port, helped me finish my PhD while we to IIT. I find that we are still teaching as the time demands get manageable.
were residing in different continents. STEM in a largely traditional manner, Things will always fall in place as long as
with chalk and board. STEM teaching our drive and passion to excel does not
My guides, both during my masters must involve hands-on projects giving a dwindle. It is also important to not com-
and PhD work, were not only excellent real-world picture, rather than isolated pare yourselves with other successful
humans, who supported my emotional problems that do not help connect the women around. Let them inspire, not
and physical struggles, but ensured dots. Students should be allowed flexi- demotivate. Every woman’s situation is
I took the best professional decisions. bility and choice to take fewer or more different, and everyone thrives in differ-
credits per semester, based on individ- ent environments. Let us not try to be like
My research revolves around pushing ual needs, and established proficiency. men to compete with them. Own your
the boundaries of structural design using femininity. If you shy away from an import-
steel. The work shall enable longer, slen- Workplaces are getting used to see- ant part of your identity, it is difficult to
der and lighter-weight steel structures, ing women in non-traditional set-ups find long-lasting success or peace.
which are more beautiful and econom- and roles. Times have changed, and
ical. I worked in a structural design firm civil engineering is no longer an unsuit- Academic Profile
where I learned that engineers had to able profession for women. Of course,
constantly push past what design spec- there are additional challenges to be BTech, Visvesvaraya National
ifications allowed us to do. I also real- met if you have to travel for site visits in Institute of Technology, Nagpur
ised that a deeper, more fundamental remote areas. But every perceived chal-
lenge can usually be solved. What has MS, University of Texas at Austin, US
It is fine to breathe when things still not changed for women is the social
are too hectic both on the profes- and domestic set-up. Marriage during PhD & Post-doctoral Fellow, Georgia
sional and personal fronts. my PhD and having my child at the start Institute of Technology, Atlanta, US
of my career were easily the most chal-
Things will always fall in place as lenging phases of my professional jour- Award & Memberships
long as our drive and passion to ney. Even when one resumes work after
excel does not dwindle. maternity leave, a child expects undi- Vinnakota Award (runner-up) for
vided attention from the mother once the best student paper, Structural
Don’t try to be like men to compete she is home. It is more likely than not that Stability Research Council (SSRC),
with them. Own your femininity. US, 2015 & 2016
Member of Indian Institute of Bridge
Engineers & SSRC
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 63
Padmshree Mudgal, PhD
Professor, Biochemistry, Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi (DU)
Padmshree Mudgal has over 32 years of undergraduate (UG) teaching
experience. She established the zebrafish lab facility at the Daulat Ram College
and popularised the zebrafish model system as a teaching and research tool.
Her research interest lies in evaluating the therapeutic potential of traditional
Indian medicines using zebrafish model system.
Iwas born in Karnal, Haryana, and encouraged faculty members to take part of shaping scientific temper in
brought up in the campus of the up projects and set up research labs young minds. As mine is an all women
National Dairy Research Institute at the undergraduate level. While I was college, so I waste not even a single
(NDRI) there. My father, late Dr VD thinking of research themes to apply, opportunity to inspire and motivate
Mudgal, worked in the area of ani- I discovered that a zebrafish facility young girls to develop an interest in sci-
mal nutrition at the institute. Later, he could be established with minimum ence, skilling, mentoring and support-
became director of the Buffalo Research means and it provided an alternative in ing them for taking informed choices
Institute, Hissar. He was my biggest vivo non-invasive model system for sci- for pursuing a career in science. Don’t
inspiration and instilled in me scientific ence education, teaching and research. be daunted by roadblocks or failures.
temper as well as leadership qualities. I I applied for the grant and after that Relentless and persistent efforts are
would always listen to his radio and tele- there was no looking back. the key to success.
vision talks for farmers regarding nutri-
tion requirements of farm animals. STEM teaching at UG is a great Query-based teaching should be
career to pursue; one can influence
Being at NDRI campus, I got to know encouraged at all levels. Lab practicals
about new developing technologies like and be part of shaping scientific
embryo transfer and animal cloning that temper in young minds. should encourage critical thinking and
offered me the excitement to pursue
science and I made up my mind early in Establishing a zebrafish lab facility in instead of structured and planned lab
life that this was the career path for me. college was the turning point of my
Listening to luminaries like Verghese professional growth. I could start some practicals, students should be encour-
Kurien and MS Swaminathan, PhD, made zebrafish-based projects at my college
me realise how their pioneering work and also initiated collaborations with a aged to explore and design their own
had changed and impacted the lifes of few other colleges. The facility is run-
millions. Another person who shaped ning for the past seven years and has experiments and learn from them. More
my future was my PhD guide, SR Anand, trained 150 faculty members and more
PhD, who instilled in me the art and skill than 800 masters’ and undergradu- funding and encouragement at the UG
of scientific design and exploration. ate students from different Delhi NCR
universities. level is required to tap the enthusiastic
potential of young girl students. Being a
faculty at an all-girls’ college, I have seen
many girls dropping of after graduation
due to lack of family support or early job
opportunities. More scholarships and
sponsorships are required to encourage
girls to take up STEM careers.
After my PhD, I joined Daulat Ram I have not faced any challenges due to Academic Profile
College, DU, as an assistant profes- gender bias. However, initiating and set-
sor. While I enjoyed teaching to its ting up the zebrafish lab facility was the BSc (Hons) Chemistry, Miranda
core, I always craved for establishing biggest challenge that I faced. The over- House, University of Delhi
a research lab of my own. In 2014, DU all coordination, setting up the basic
announced funding opportunities and infrastructure and training of staff for MSc Biochemistry, Post Graduate
its round-the-clock maintenance was a Institute of Medical Sciences,
Don’t be daunted by roadblocks challenge. Chandigarh
or failures.
My advice to next-gen women who wish PhD in Animal Biochemistry, National
Women who wish to be in leader- to be in leadership roles is inspire by Dairy Research Institute, Karnal
ship roles must learn to inspire by example. Set high goals, motivate your
example. team to achieve those. Encourage and Awards
celebrate every small achievement.
More scholarships and sponsor- STEM teaching at UG is a great career Best Innovative Idea, Teaching
ships are required to girls encour- to pursue; one can influence and be Excellence Award for Innovation, DU
age to take up STEM careers.
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Best Teacher Award, Centre for
Professional Advancement, DU
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 64
Paramjit Khurana, PhD
Professor, Department of Plant Molecular Biology
and JC Bose National Fellow
University of Delhi South Campus
Paramjit Khurana is known for her accomplishments and expertise in plant biotechnology.
Her research focus has largely been around wheat biotechnology, seri-biotechnology,
plant genomics, bioinformatics and genetic transformation of legumes and cereals.
Several people inspired and moti- of Indian mulberry, Morus indica. Academic Profile
vated me to excel in life and I was associated with the sequenc-
career. My father Mohan Singh ing of the rice genome as part of the BSc, MSc, Mphil & PhD in Botany,
Gharyal, teacher Prof. SC Maheshwari, international rice genomics effort. University of Delhi
husband Prof. JP Khurana, and former At present, I am associated with the
DBT Secretary Manju Sharma, PhD, are sequencing of the tomato genome Fellow
some of them. as part of the international genome
effort. National Academy of Sciences
My father, while working for the Indian (NASI), Allahabad
Army, devised an engineers’ stetho- Believe in yourselves and be
scope for locating faults in heavy at your work till your work starts Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc),
machinery, which he patented after Bengaluru
retirement and won the President’s speaking for itself.
Award conferred by the Invention Indian National Science Academy
Promotion Board of India. This was a Other major research contributions of (INSA)
major event that encouraged me to my group include the development of a
pursue research in my field of interest systems biology approach to decipher National Academy of Agricultural
and soar high in my profession. the molecular mechanisms associated Sciences (NAAS)
with somatic embryogenesis in plants,
There were times I faced challenges. To transcriptome profiling for studying The World Academy of Sciences,
be specific, not being taken seriously heat stress tolerance in wheat and Trieste, Italy
for your ideas or work was the major drought stress in mulberry, develop-
one. Socially as well, science was con- ment of genetic transformation system Awards
sidered a male domain. by agrobacterium methods in wheat
species and varieties, development Prof. J.C. Bose National Fellowship
However, my hard work and dedication of a novel technique of direct gene
has paid off well and my research has transfer in plants via cellular perme- Shri Ranjan Memorial Lecture
been acknowledged and appreciated abilization, and the development of a Award, NASI
at the national and global levels. My non-invasive method for the introduc-
advice to the next generation of women tion of impermeant macromolecules Bharat Ratna Rajiv Gandhi Mahila
researchers is: Believe in yourselves into living plant cells. Shakti National Award
and be at your work till your work starts
speaking for itself. All these involved non-stop labour, Birbal Sahni Award Medal, Indian
patience and perseverance. Therefore, Botanical Society
My team has worked on sequencing women researchers who wish to make
the complete chloroplast sequence a mark must be prepared for a 24x7 job Professor Har Swarup Memorial
with no official timings and no holidays. Medal, INSA
Women researchers should be
prepared for a 24x7 job with no I think the attitude of the masses Prof. Archana Sharma Memorial
official timings and no holidays. Lecture Award, 2019, NASI
towards women who are serious about
Well-educated teachers are a need Membership
of the hour. their careers should change. Well-
Third World Organization for
Science needs to be more paying educated teachers are a need of the Women in Science, Italy
as compared to other professional
courses. hour. Teachers’ training is crucial for International Sericulture
Commission, France.
creating interest in students and young
Society of Plant Biochemistry and
girls in science. And finally, science Biotechnology
needs to be more paying as compared Indian Society of Developmental
Biologists
to other professional courses.
Indian Cell Biology Society
Indian Science Congress Association
Association of Plant Tissue Culture
(India)
National Academy of Sericultural
Sciences India, Bangalore
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 65
Pinky Agarwal, PhD
Scientist V, National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi
Pinky Agarwal’s research aims to elucidate the molecular networks
controlling various aspects of the rice grain during its development
to improve rice crop.
My parents have always very encouraging colleagues who are and display skills that they expect to
encouraged me to pursue always ready for scientific discussions see in others. A leader has to not only
an independent career in and suggestions. be sincere and hardworking but also
my field of interest. Being a doctor’s empathetic towards her co-workers
daughter, biology always fascinated A leader is respected only when and subordinates. She has to exhibit
me. My teachers at Gargi College one can step up and become a balance of authority and friendli-
introduced me to biotechnology and ness as required. Stay persistent even
my teachers at the Department of a role model and display skills when it gets tough, because the sat-
Plant Molecular Biology, University that they expect to see isfaction obtained from being able to
of Delhi South Campus ensured in others. complete experiments, publish papers
that I got fascinated by the subject. and guide others to build a career is
My spouse Rachin and my brother My research work is on rice improve- unmatched.
Gautam have always supported me ment. Rice is a staple food crop and
and celebrated my success and stood grain size is the most important param- I would recommend flexible timings,
by me in times of need. eter contributing to its yield. The rice
grain is carbohydrate-rich, and has a work-from-home options and part-
A research paper of one of my first few micronutrients, but is also a source
PhD students came in for review when of dietary protein. time jobs to attract more women into
I was expecting and in my third trimes-
ter. I put in all my time and effort to The research in my laboratory aims STEM careers. STEM can be made
the same and submitted the review to elucidate the molecular networks
just a week before my delivery. The controlling these aspects of rice grain interesting with hands-on experience
paper, however, was sent to a differ- during its development to improve rice
ent set of reviewers by the editor, who crop. Recent work done in my labora- rather than rote learning. An actual lab
did not seem to be experts in the field tory has led to the identification of a
and had a completely different per- seed-specific transcription factor con- exposure to students through a short
spective. This did not discourage me trolling multiple aspects of rice grain
and I submitted the same paper to a development, including amylopectin training can help them visualise con-
better journal, where it got accepted and seed storage protein biosynthesis.
with minimal changes by reviewers. We have also identified an E3 ubiquitin cepts better.
The icing on the cake was that the ligase involved in increasing grain size
paper was much lauded by the sci- in indica rice. Academic Profile
entific community. I also have some
It is a blessing to work at an Institute BSc (Hons) Botany, Gargi College,
Stay persistent even when it gets where both genders get equal oppor- University of Delhi (DU)
tough. tunities. Yet, the glass ceiling does
exist in the minds of people and is MSc & PhD in Plant Molecular
Flexible timings, work-from- difficult to break. Trends are changing Biology, DU
home options and part-time jobs with an increased focus on working
to attract more women into STEM women from various decision-making Awards & Fellowships
careers. bodies and that is heartening to see.
INSA Young Scientist’s Award
Exhibit a balance of authority and A leader is respected only when one
friendliness as a leader. can step up and become a role model Women Excellence Award, Science
and Research Engineering Board
EMBO Research Leadership Course
Selection, DBT India Alliance.
Memberships
Organisation for Women in Science
for the Developing World
Indian Science Congress
Association
American Society of Plant
Biologists
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 66
Pooja Devi, PhD
Principal Scientist
CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh.
Pooja Devi is a material scientist who develops and studies new materials to
address their techno-commercial aspects for sensors and energy catalysis.
Iwas born in Birbangra, a small village in materials-based heterostructures for Introducing flexibility in working hours
Haryana’s Kaithal district, and brought green hydrogen generation through or work from home, especially for young
up in the small town of Dhandh. Later, electrochemical route and air purifica- mothers, hiring couples in the same city
my family moved to Kurukshetra for my tion by photocatalytic oxidation, and (if not institute), introducing the pro-
education. My father Shivdutt Sharma to developing a wearable breathing vision of child care leave for fathers
couldn’t complete his education and device V-Treat for clinicians to provide and age relaxation for recruitment
studied up to matriculation due to SARS-CoV-2-free breathing air while may enable women in STEM in a great
financial constraints. He gave us the discharging their clinical duties. manner. Women-friendly policies in
best opportunities and environment institutes and mentorship programmes
to study, which pushed my interest in I try to become the best version must be rolled on soon. Campus crèche
education. I was much influenced by TV of myself and follow the quote, and playschools can also help attract
programmes (Turning Point and Nano Ki and retain women in STEM.
Duniya) and science columns by Prof. ‘I didn’t come this far to
Yash Pal in newspapers. My two sib- only come this far’. I am an avid science communicator
lings helped me overcome the English
language barrier. My husband has been My journey from a small town till here working on girls’ STEM participation.
a strong support system and has taught itself is a driving factor for me. I try to
me patience and perseverance. become the best version of myself and It is important to create an ecosystem
follow the quote, ‘I didn’t come this far to
I have been guided and influenced only come this far’. Recently, I received of curiosity-driven teaching at schools
by many faculty members. They recognition from the Haryana govern-
include Prof. P Jeevanandam, Vijaya ment. I hope this encourages my com- by engaging students in activity-based
Aggarwala, PhD, and Anil Srivastava munity girls to take up STEM as a career.
from IIT Roorkee; Prof. R K Sinha, learning. Undergraduate students should
former director of Central Scientific As a working woman, I have faced a major
Instruments Organisation (CSIO); Prof. challenge in balancing motherhood and be engaged in mini-projects to address
Ashutosh Sharma from IIT Kanpur; and professional life. I am also going through
Prof. S Anantha Ramakrishna, CSIO a two-body problem, wherein my hus- real-time problems for experiential
director now. band is working in Kolkata while I am
working in Chandigarh. Thus, at times learning. More competitive job opportu-
I have contributed to developing func- STEM careers can be indeed quite chal-
tional materials for detecting pollut- lenging on the personal front. nities in academic and industrial sectors
ants in water. Many of these materials
are integrated with field-deployable Women often set boundaries for are also required to attract a talented
test kits and devices. I have also con- themselves due to their socio-cultural
tributed to catalytic materials, espe- upbringing. To become leaders, we pool in STEM. The culture and positive
cially the design of oxide- and 2D need to break a few of these boundar-
ies, and come out of our comfort zone. environment for start-ups should be pro-
If you have zeal, creativity, Women must build a proper support
enthusiasm and curiosity, then system—family, friends or colleagues. moted amongst youngsters while creat-
R&D is the career choice for you. If you have zeal, creativity, enthusiasm
and curiosity, then R&D is the career ing an ecosystem for their hand-holding
Women often set boundaries for choice for you. It is also equally import-
themselves due to their socio-cul- ant to have knowledge, patience and and sustainability.
tural upbringing. resilience to sustain and grow further.
Academic Profile
Women must build a proper sup- STEM fields are very demanding and
port system, which could be in competitive and thus we need more BTech Biotechnology, University
the form of family, friends and policies to enable women to manage Institute of Engineering and
colleagues. their professional and personal lives. Technology, Kurukshetra
MTech Nanotechnology, IIT Roorkee
PhD in Engineering (materials),
Academy of Scientific and Industrial
Research, New Delhi
Awards
NASI Young Scientist Platinum
Jubilee Award, 2021
IEI Young Engineer Award, 2021
INAE Young Engineer Award, 2020
SERB Women Excellence Award, 2020
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 67
Dr Pranita P Sarangi
Associate Professor, Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering
IIT Roorkee
Pranita P Sarangi is a veterinarian and researcher who explores the immunological
mechanisms associated with the development of herpetic stromal keratitis,
an infectious blinding disease caused by Herpes simplex virus-1.
Iwas born and brought up in an infectious blinding disease caused While the world is prioritising gen-
Bhubaneswar, Odisha. My father was a by Herpes simplex virus-1. My work has der equality, diversity and inclusion in
mathematics teacher in Sainik School improved our understanding of the traf- all disciplines and careers, it is highly
and mother, a teacher in a government ficking and activation pattern of innate essential to understand the social and
high school. From childhood, my father immune cells such as neutrophils and biological needs of women and create
motivated us to become good human macrophages under septic conditions. gender-supportive policies. There is a
beings and imbibed in us the essence My work is the first report on the immu- need to emphasise paternal leave and
of Indian tradition, including yoga, spir- nomodulatory and therapeutic poten- promote sharing of family responsibili-
itualism, Vedic traditions and classical tials of fibulin7 in inflammation and ties by both men and women could help
art forms. My mother has been a classic cancer conditions. in bringing women and retaining them
symbol of a strong woman who would in STEM careers. Vigyan Jyoti and the
always excel at home and at work. In Setting higher goals, persistence, Gender Advancement for Transforming
addition to my parents, I have acquired sincere efforts, constant self- Institutions (GATI) are two commend-
certain traits, such as stretching myself analysis and a strong desire to able schemes from the WISE-KIRAN
a bit more even when I am going to give division of the Department of Science
up, taking risks and venturing into new become a leader is what is needed and Technology and similar programmes
areas of research, from my doctoral and from the next-gen woman. ought to be facilitated.
postdoctoral mentors.
When I look back, one of the factors At the high school level, students need
I was always interested in pursuing some- that pushed me to my test limits and
thing that would offer some challenge strengthened my abilities as a career to understand various career oppor-
to me. After completing my schooling woman was the challenges post mar-
at the Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, I riage and the desire to stay close to tunities that could exist in STEM disci-
decided to pursue veterinary science, family and become a mother. I chose
which was dominated by men in those to accept the change in research areas, plines irrespective of gender bias. The
days. After working as a field veterinar- and career breaks and give my best in
ian, I went for my higher studies in the every sphere no matter whatever came addition of demonstration and practi-
United States—a key factor in choosing to my share.
a career in academia later. cal-based school curriculum from the
My advice to the next-gen women
At work, I have contributed to the is that each woman has an inherent primary level could increase interest
understanding of various immunological ability to take on any challenge and it
mechanisms associated with the devel- is possible to become a mother, wife of students in science. From the school
opment of herpetic stromal keratitis, and successful career woman in STEM.
Setting higher goals, persistence, sin- level, more efforts should be made to
Network with senior women cere efforts, constant self-analysis and
leaders in STEM and take their a strong desire to become a leader inculcate creativity and an innovative
advice is what is needed from the next-gen
woman. I believe, regardless of the mindset, rather than forcing kids to
Understand the social and biolog- domain, one of the things that could
ical needs of women and create help women, especially those who are memorise vast syllabi.
gender-supportive policies. family-oriented is to learn to share
their responsibilities with their part- Academic Profile
Emphasise paternal leave and pro- ners. Secondly, networking with senior
mote sharing of family responsi- women leaders in STEM and taking BVSc & AH, Orissa University of
bilities by both parents. their advice could help a lot in their Agriculture and Technology
journey towards success.
PhD, College of Veterinary Medicine,
University of Tennessee, US
Awards & Fellowships
Travel for Technique Award, American
Association of Immunologists, US
Innovative Young Biotechnologist
Award, DBT
University Merit Scholarship for
undergraduate education, Govt. of
India
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 68
Priyanka Bajaj, PhD
Assistant Professor, National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad
Priyanka Bajaj is a green chemistry researcher who is working towards
making pharmaceuticals and other industrial products environmentally
friendly. She is developing biocatalytic processes and enzymes with potential
applications in green chemistry.
Iwas born and brought up in the encouragement for establishing this funded by the government, collaborat-
Karnal district of Haryana. Being from interdisciplinary field of research at ing with industry partners and trying
a rural area, it was challenging to take NIPER, Hyderabad. There is a dire need to tailor the enzymes as per industrial
science and pursue it up to this point. to introduce upcoming and interdisci- applications and demand.
I give the whole credit to my parents for plinary research areas in school and col-
keeping me persistent and supporting lege STEM education. Here I would like It is difficult to be a woman researcher.
me in every possible way. I especially to mention that through Indian National Facilitating the emotional and physical
owe it to my mother, who has been Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS), safety of women, reducing stereotypes,
quite progressive in her thoughts and we are working on multiple projects to equal opportunities and pay scales at
always wanted me to be an indepen- impart practical, hands-on training to the level of educational institutes and
dent woman. school students and teachers. workplaces are highly required for the
change to come.
As the saying goes,, challenges are Challenges are opportunities
opportunities in disguise. I always find in disguise. I always find my path The most challenging experience as
my path and vision among challenges
I face day to day. My biggest profes- and vision in challenges. women in the professional world is
sional challenge has been limited Indian
scientists working in the field of ‘enzyme As far as my research is concerned, for to break free of stereotypes and per-
evolution and engineering’ for catalysing the past 12 years, I have been work-
chemical reactions. This work involves ing on developing new proteins and ceptions of society. I think times are
both biology and chemistry and requires biocatalysts to solve pharmaceutical
understanding of both the subjects. So and environmental challenges. During changing for the better and we are
it becomes difficult to get students for my PhD with Prof. Abhay H Pande at
PhD and post-doctoral positions who NIPER, Mohali, I worked on developing progressing towards a gender neutral
have knowledge of both the subjects. enzymes for degradation of organo-
phosphates, components of nerve gas society in a positive way. Have faith in
To tackle this challenge, beginning agents and toxic pesticides. These
this year, we have made students of enzymes have been engineered and yourself and develop a healthy sense of
biology and pharmaceutical sciences evolved and depending on the utility
eligible for admission to the PhD pro- (prophylactic/outside environment); confidence. It can do wonders. Let go all
gramme in chemical sciences at NIPER. they have been stabilised with different
I am thankful to my director and col- formulations and nano-carriers. fears, judgements and limited beliefs,
leagues for their constant support and
I have published multiple international and make a place for yourself. Take cal-
Break free of stereotypes and research articles on the above work
perceptions of society. and patents have been granted for the culated risks, adjust and align yourself
same. During my post-doctoral training
Have faith in yourself and develop with Prof. Rudi Fasan, who trained with with your goal, and the most important,
a healthy sense of confidence. Nobel Laureate Prof. Frances Arnold
at Caltech, I worked on engineering don’t give up. Keep patience, as any-
Let go all fears, judgements and and evolving enzymes for synthesis
limited beliefs, and make a place of active pharmaceutical ingredients thing good for you takes time.
for yourself. (APIs). My current focus is developing
multiple important enzymes for cata- Academic Profile
Take calculated risks, adjust and lysing the synthesis of chiral APIs. Here,
align yourself with your goal. we are working on multiple projects MSc, Kurukshetra University
PhD, NIPER, Mohali
Post-doctoral Fellow, Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology, University of Rochester,
New York
Post-doctoral Fellow, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor
Awards & Fellowships
DST-INSPIRE Faculty Award
CSIR-Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
Fellowship
Haryana State Prathibha Samman, 2009
INSA-INYAS Fellow, 2020
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 69
Rakhi Chaturvedi, PhD
Professor & Head at Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering,
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam
Visiting Professor, Gifu University, Japan
Iwas born in Prayagraj. My father Rakhi Chaturvedi is a plant and agri biotechno
would devote time to teach me and
deconstructed difficult concepts to logist specialising in in vitro plant tissue culture
help me develop fundamental under- and secondary metabolite production.
standing of several topics. I was quite
focused on academics and had little technology; and creating sizeable culti- the world. I hold memberships of the
time for extracurricular activities. My vation of top-quality banana, giloy and Plant Tissue Culture Association, India;
strict father insisted all his children stevia plants using in vitro micropropa- the International Plant Propagators
must excel in academics. My stern gation methods. I have filed patents for Society, USA; and the Society for
mother taught me cooking and other in vitro methods in neem and tea. In Vitro Biology, USA.
domestic chores without hand-hold-
ing. I always wanted to control my As a woman researcher, I faced a few Women who wish to fly high should
destiny, be financially independent, barriers. My main opponents were not compare and regret who they are.
and not get married off at an early age. mostly women or some of my relatives No one can stop you until and unless
I realised education was my path to who never understood my inclination you yourself allow. Take a challenge,
independence. towards professional goals. While handle it professionally, and do not
women of my age were busy finding mix-up emotions while taking crucial
I experienced a few rough patches. their life partners to settle down, my professional decisions. Do not incul-
During my PhD days, my father suf- parents decided to free me to pursue cate insecurities within and develop
fered a stroke and had no one to look academics. My siblings also supported a positive aura around yourself. Own
after him. I had to move to Prayagraj to me to realise my dreams. I worked on your research work, enjoy it, give your
supervise his recovery, which was very the principle that ‘If you want to fly best and that is the only way to main-
slow. Upon his partial recovery, he was high, must dare to leave the earth’. tain high standards. I believe in ‘work
adamant that I return to Delhi. He had is worship’; respect work—small or big;
been paying for my fees out of his pal- I feel that the concept of women perform tasks with utmost sincerity
try retirement pension and was keen in STEM must be introduced and dedication without bothering much
that I finish my doctorate. I returned to girls in schools. about the outcome.
reluctantly and immersed myself in
studies with new vigour. This is how Whenever I got a chance to excel, I feel that the concept of women in
I channelised my emotions. I used it to my advantage. I have con-
tributed extensively to IIT Guwahati STEM must be introduced to girls in
My major research contributions in various administrative positions for
include developing in vitro triploids more than ten years. As Dean at the schools. I do not see any shortcom-
of neem (seedless), and haploids and office of alumni and external relations,
doubled-haploid lines of neem and I was actively involved in promoting ings in the way STEM is being taught
tea, making them amenable for gen- partnerships and collaborations with
erating superior plants; developing a national and international institutions, in India.
process for the production of com- leading to starting an international
mercial compounds of medicinal value joint degree programme. I took up Academic Profile
by employing in vitro plant cell culture national-level administrative duties,
like chairperson or organising chair- BSc Ewing Christian College,
I realised education was my path person of GATE-JAM examinations, Prayagraj
to independence. conducted on behalf of the Ministry
of Education. With that opportunity, MSc, University of Allahabad,
Respect work—small or big. I could introduce several reforms and Uttar Pradesh
conducted the examinations online,
No one can stop you until and thus enabling a larger number of youths MPhil & PhD, University of Delhi
unless you yourself allow. from India and abroad to participate.
It raised the visibility of IITs around Awards & Fellowships
Don’t mix-up emotions while tak-
ing crucial professional decisions. Elected Fellow, National Academy
of Sciences, India
Newton-Bhabha Leading Women
Scientist Award 2016
Prof Y S Murty Gold Medal 2011
by Indian Botanical Society
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 70
Rama Govindarajan, PhD
Senior Professor & Dean-Academic
International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Bengaluru
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Rama Govindarajan is a theoretical physicist specialising in fluid dynamics.
Her current work is on cloud fluid dynamics and mixing in the Bay of Bengal,
where she is trying to begin modeling the Indian monsoon.
Icame into this field by compulsion, not correct equation in any formal order of all aspects relevant to your field. If you
choice. After my IIT years, I wished to accuracy and the Boussinesq approxi- witness unfairness, either towards you
work in the industry. But as my spouse mation, widely used, is not correct near or towards someone else, speak out.
had a job in Bengaluru, I came here to a powerful vortex (common in turbu- Women who wish to take up a career
support him. And in those days, there lence). Recently, I have made contribu- in this field, go for it; you can do great.
were not many options for chemical tions to cloud and ocean flows as well. This career keeps you young because
engineers in the industry in Bengaluru. you are always connecting to sharp,
So I decided to venture into aerospace, Belief in yourself, aim high. young and enthusiastic people. The
which had huge scope in that city, and Be enterprising and creative. fraction of women in leadership roles
thereafter decided to pursue research should be monitored and efforts made
in that field. My former students and post-doctoral to increase that.
mentees have set extremely high stan-
In the late 1980s, I attended some cap- dards for themselves and their groups. To become deep thinkers, STEM stu-
tivating lectures on non-linear dynam- I am most proud of this.
ics and chaos at the Indian Institute of dents need to know a bit about other
Science (IISc). Two lectures I can still I describe two experiences that I had
repeat on the blackboard were those as a woman in STEM; there were others subjects like history, geography, fine arts,
by Prof. Ramakrishna Ramaswamy and as well. I was invited (by letter) for an
Prof. KR Sreenivasan. In 1992, I went interview in the late 1980s by a pharma- performing arts, world affairs, and eco-
to a winter school on ‘turbulence’ in ceutical company in Bengaluru. When
Les Houches, France, during which I I walked in, the team leader told me that nomics as well. Students should be given
learned a lot. These incidents brought from my name they had assumed I was
in me a desire to work in fluid dynamics. a man, and now that they saw I was not, harder and more creative problems to
they would not interview me. In 1998,
I discovered a new flow instability I gave a plenary talk at the International solve, and should be judged on the cre-
caused by viscosity variation and Conference on Numerical Methods in
showed theoretically how these varia- Fluid Mechanics in Arcachon, France. ativity and scientific soundness of their
tions can be exploited to achieve bet- The chairman of the session was a
ter mixing at low Reynolds numbers. famous scientist from India. While approach, and not always on whether
This instability has now been seen in introducing me, he announced to the
a microchannel experiment in France. large global audience that I had left a they reached the final answer.
My work has examined standard dog- sick child in India. My son was running a
mas in fluid flow and shown limits to mild temperature, that’s all. In the end, Academic Profile
their validity. For example, the Orr- he described my talk as consisting of
Sommerfeld equation, widely used ‘pretty pictures’ and asked the audi- BTech Chemical Engineering, IIT Delhi
for boundary layer stability, is not the ence to clap hard because I had left
behind a ‘very sick child just to show MS Chemical Engineering, Drexel
Women who wish to take up a some pretty pictures’. Later, several top University, Philadelphia, US
career in this field, go for it; you scientists told me my work was deep
can do great. and insightful. PhD in Aerospace Engineering, IISc,
Bengaluru
If you witness unfairness, either Therefore, despite every barrier,
towards you or towards someone believe in yourself and aim high. Be Post-doctoral Fellow, California
else, speak out. enterprising and creative. Work hard on Institute of Technology, US
Awards & Fellowships
Kirk Distinguished Visiting Fellow,
Isaac Newton Institute, Cambridge,
2022
Platinum Jubilee Prize, Aerospace
Engineering Department, IISc, 2017
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in
Engineering Sciences, 2007
Young Scientist of the Year 1997,
National Aerospace Laboratories,
Bengaluru
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 71
Remya Parameswar Iyer
PGT Biotechnology, Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Guwahati
Remya P Iyer teaches biotechnology and science to higher secondary students.
She is a resource person for teacher training programmes of Kendriya Vidyalaya
Sangathan (KVS) and a coordinator for the Programme for International Student
Assessment (PISA) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Iwas born and brought up in Thrissur, in my career. From scientific research, I others without loving, respecting and
Kerala, in a Tamil family where edu- was challenged to choose a professional being her best version every day.
cation was given paramount impor- path available at that point that aligned
tance. I was given freedom to make my with my heart and soul and could give To allow women to flourish in STEM
own choices. I was deeply inspired by me immense satisfaction. careers, steps must be undertaken by
my grade IX science teacher, Ms Pearl, policymakers to assure more flexibility
of Sacred Heart Convent Girls High My professional life as a teacher is full at every level so that more women can
School to take up science. During my of many accomplishments that I did not complete their doctorate degrees. The
bachelor’s degree programme, I chose foresee coming when I started. As the spectrum of funding schemes for women
biotechnology as an elective, and opted head of biotechnology department in researchers must be broadened so that
for the same subject for my master’s Kendriya Vidyalaya Khanapara, I played more women may enter and continue in
degree as well. a pivotal role in building a well-equipped STEM fields. The industry may think of
biotechnology lab and infrastructure as generating novel opportunities to open
After that, I worked under the mentor- the BLiSS and Foldscope ( both DBT up new avenues, and encouragement of
ship of Karuppanan Veluthambi, PhD, grants) coordinator. In addition, I won entrepreneurship and partnerships at
at the department of biotechnology the IREX International Fulbright Alumni individual and community levels. Many
in Madurai Kamaraj University in plant Grant in 2015 and the USIEF Alumni science subjects are taught theoreti-
molecular biology as a CSIR Junior Grant in 2021. cally, and not via learning by doing.
Research Fellow for about a year.
During that period, I developed an incli- Steps must be undertaken by policy- However, collaborations between insti-
nation towards research. Later, I worked makers to assure more flexibility at
at the National Centre of Biological every level so that more women can tutions, colleges and schools can bring
Sciences under K Vijayaraghavan, PhD, complete their doctorate degrees.
who changed my mindset and moti- about a change. An Edu Talk series with
vated me to apply for higher education My personality transformed as an educa-
in the United States. I got into the MS tor when I mentored students in various STEM resources, Nature Club, Eco
programme in biochemical research at scientific projects that they undertook as
the Case Western Reserve University part of Innovation in Science Pursuit for Club and Science Club activities must
School of Medicine with a fellowship Inspired Research (INSPIRE), National
and worked on understanding neu- Children Science Congress, Jawaharlal be encouraged and students should
rotransmitter metabolism during sleep Nehru National Science, Mathematics
apnea. I participated in the US govern- and Environment Exhibition (JNNSMEE) be motivated to take up small research
ment’s Fulbright Programme in 2014. and INTEL Science Fair. I am working on
developing scientific communication and projects right from young age. Visits to
My toughest barrier was trying to bal- temperament in young minds, motivat-
ance home and work front. I had to leave ing them to take up science as a career, labs and industries and interaction with
my PhD programme in the United States and conducting workshops and build-
to accompany my husband to India ing awareness on mindfulness practice scientists and entrepreneurs can spark
who joined as assistant professor in IIT to bring in more resilience and intuitive
Guwahati. This was the first turning point thinking in students. a genuine interest in STEM.
Academic Profile
MS Biochemical Research, Case
Western Reserve University, Ohio, US
MSc Biotechnology, Cochin University
of Science and Technology, Kochi
BSc, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher
Learning, Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh
BEd, Guwahati University, Assam
Funding schemes for women I feel one should choose a STEM career Awards
researchers must be broadened. if she is willing to give time, energy and
resources towards work and research. National Award to Teachers, 2019
Students should be motivated to It demands rigorous effort, intensity
take up small research projects and passion, and demands curiosity KVS National Incentive Award, 2018
right from young age. and genuine interest. One cannot lead
Fulbright Distinguished Academic
Teaching Award, 2014
Dr CV Raman Science Teacher Award
by DST, 2013
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 72
Rituparna Sinha Roy, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata
Rituparna Sinha Roy works in the area of peptide-based therapeutics.
She engineers nature-inspired peptide-based stabilised putative
molecular medicines having better stability and superior activity.
Iwas born in Kolkata. However, I was regenerative nanomedicine and cancer To integrate medicine and engineering
brought up in a remote village named nanomedicine. My research excites me students into research, appropriate
Bishnubati in the Burdwan district while I continue to put interesting ideas PhD entrance exams must be planned
until I finished high school. After my to work, thus steering my professional and conducted. Further, rolling PhD
class X exams, we had to relocate to growth as a researcher. interviews will be helpful for research-
Kolkata as higher studies were difficult ers working in interdisciplinary sciences
and safety for women was a big concern Women STEM researchers need to as they require students having differ-
in my village. My parents and teachers have a lot of courage, a risk-taking ent academic backgrounds.
at Bishnubati were my first mentors attitude and emotional resilience.
who inspired me to do well in my stud- For faculty members, five-year grants
ies and science. However, my professional growth is a are desirable, instead of three-year
mixed bag of roses and thorns. Even in ones, for promoting high-quality
During my younger days, I used to read the 21st century, people underestimate research and also to help early-career
science articles in Bengal’s popular Desh the credentials of a woman faculty. Yet, woman researchers perform better
magazine. Owing to my reading habit, I there were rays of hope in science, and while balancing work and life. Flexibility
gathered knowledge on the work of some somehow, I persisted. Women STEM in fund usage must be built in the grants
eminent scientists across the world and researchers need to have a lot of cour- for the ease of conducting research in
in India. Besides, the work of Madame age, a risk-taking attitude and emotional newer or facility-deficient institutes.
Curie, Prof. Dorothy Hodgkin, Rosalind resilience.
Franklin, Prof. GN Ramachandran, Women researchers whose works are
Subhash Mukhopadhyay, Acharya My first and foremost suggestion for
Jagadish Chandra Bose, Sambhu Nath women scientists is to choose a field dependent on instruments and equip-
De and several other scientists’ work where you have good opportunities to
encouraged and inspired me to keep excel without too much physical exhaus- ment are facing a huge problem in facil-
honing my scientific skills and continue tion. Working in interdisciplinary sci-
to grow in a STEM career. ence is indeed challenging and hugely ity-deficient institutes. SERB-POWER
dependent on facilities.. In interdisci-
I am a physical chemist who works on plinary fields like biological chemistry, grant is a huge enabler for women
the interface of chemistry and biology the experimental work needs dedicated
to develop peptide-based therapeutics. long lab hours. Training students in inter- researchers. In addition, philanthropic
My research group is interested in the disciplinary areas is quite challenging
therapeutics of bleeding disorder, dia- for a PhD supervisor. So while choosing and industrial grants to support women
betic wound healing and siRNA-based future research goals, one needs to be
combination therapy against triple-neg- careful about the available resources researchers in facility-deficient insti-
ative breast cancer (TNBC). We aim to and facilities present at her institute. I
engineer peptide-based therapeutics suggest next-generation women scien- tutes will be encouraging.
for healthcare, especially in the area of tists to be patient, grab opportunity, and
be focussed and perseverant. Academic Profile
Be patient, grab opportunity, and
be focussed and perseverant. I support and participate in interdisci- BSc Chemistry (Hons), MSc Physical
plinary STEM research at IISER Kolkata. Chemistry, Jadavpur University
Interdisciplinary approach is the Interdisciplinary approach is the need
need of the hour in teaching. of the hour in teaching. For example, PhD, IISc, Bengaluru
biology should be taught by giving
Philanthropic and industrial grants detailed molecular level information. Post-doctoral Fellow, Harvard
to support woman researchers in Chemistry needs to be made manda- Medical School, US
facility-deficient institutes will be tory for learning biology and medicine.
encouraging. Post-doctoral research assistant,
The Scripps Research Institute, US
Awards & Fellowships
SERB-POWER Fellowship, 2021
Women Scientist Award, 2020,
Organisation of Pharmaceutical
Producers of India
DST-Ramalingaswami Fellowship, 2011
Shamrao Kaikini Medal for best PhD
thesis at IISc
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 73
Rohini Garg, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Life Sciences,
School of Life Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, UP
Rohini Garg studies epigenomics and gene regulatory mechanisms
of abiotic stress responses towards creating climate resilient plants.
Ialways enjoyed science in school, both my brother and I had to take up My advice to young researchers is if
especially biology experiments to tuitions to fund my education. When I you wish to pursue research, always
understand concepts and finding applied for the master’s degree course be honest with your work and focus on
answers to biological phenomena in University of Delhi South Campus giving your best; and results will follow.
happening around me. STEM became (UDSC), there were only six seats in Perseverance and a support system of
a natural career option as it encour- that stream, but I was confident of get- close friends are important.
ages critical thinking and collabora- ting through. Always believe in your-
tion. It also gave me an opportunity to self with unflinching confidence; be As our society is changing with both
encourage young minds. I was lucky to a go-getter. men and women working as profession-
have excellent mentors who encour- als—and in many cases both partners
aged me to take up a career in scien- Always believe in yourself are researchers, I feel the faculty and
tific research. They encouraged me to with unflinching confidence; scientist recruitment process should
apply for various grants and positions, not shy away from hiring both as fac-
supported my applications and offered be a go-getter. ulty to sustain most women in active
me guidance on grant management. I research careers.
was encouraged by their time manage- Receiving INSPIRE Faculty Award
ment and work perfection. Mentors and IYBA Young Scientist Award Otherwise, women researchers end up
are a must in a researcher’s life. I also proved instrumental for me to choose
looked up to many women scientists research as a long-term career. My key joining administrative posts and leave
for scientific and leadership skills that contributions are in genomics and tran-
inspired me in multiple ways. scriptomics for chickpea. I have stud- active research. There should also
ied how epigenomic changes across
I was an independent learner from a different plant genotypes influence the be more funding schemes for women
young age and was not shy in asking my regulation of and response to abiotic
doubts to my teachers. It was one of my stress. Such information has helped us researchers for travel support for inter-
best friends who convinced my parents understand how epigenomic changes
to allow me to study in Delhi University. may dictate adaptation to stress in national collaborations.
My family members, including my par- plants. I have also used a transcrip-
ents, brother and husband, have sup- tomic approach to decipher genotype Academic Profile
ported me in completing my studies. specific gene regulatory networks in
I lost my father while I was in the first the context of stress and adaptation BSc, Institute of Home Economics;
year of my undergraduate studies and apart from unraveling the epigenome MSc Plant Molecular Biology, UDSC,
it was difficult financially to manage, so regulation during abiotic stress and New Delhi
seed development. This information
Mentors are a must in a research- has application in crop improvement PhD, National Institute of Immunology,
er’s life. towards creating climate resilient New Delhi
crops.
Be honest with your work; focus Awards & Fellowships
on giving your best, and results Despite decent recognition, there were
will follow. instances when I faced problems in SERB Women Excellence Award,
convincing people that I can fulfill my DST, 2017
Women can fulfil professional professional responsibilities along with
responsibilities along with per- personal ones, which I can’t ignore. Young Scientist Platinum Jubilee
sonal ones. Other than this I have not faced any Award, National Academy of
gender bias. Sciences, 2014
Indian National Science Academy
Medal for Young Scientist, 2014
Innovative Young Biotechnologist
Award, DBT, 2012
INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship,
DST, 2011
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 74
Rumi De, PhD
Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education
and Research, Kolkata
Rumi De’s research focuses on the interdisciplinary areas of physics
and biology. She explores the emergent dynamics of living systems
from a physicist’s perspective.
Iwas born and brought up in choosing a research lab. It was quite if required. There is immense joy in
Serampore in West Bengal. I was disheartening year after year not to be pursuing science. Also, it is now a
drawn to science from my school able to build my research group. I won- great time to pursue interdisciplinary
days. My school and college teachers der whether my gender—being the only research. The new state-of-the-art
motivated me to take up higher studies. woman scientist in the department—or experiments and computational tools
However, I did not know what research my interdisciplinary research area had have opened up quantitative studies
was until my MSc. While pursuing my any deterrent role to play. However, on diverse systems ranging from uni-
master’s degree, I developed interest instead of losing hope, I tried more cellular bacteria to multicellular com-
in pursuing research. and wrote an external research project plex living organisms. But you need
to take PhD students. Finally, after a to work hard, have patience and also
I joined the PhD programme of the few years, I now have a lively research persevere in pursuing your goal. So do
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in group with enthusiastic students. what you like to do, do what makes you
Bengaluru, and was exposed to the happy, and enjoy.
area of non-linear dynamics and chaotic Stand up for the cause you believe
systems. IISc played a significant role in. Also, be ready to take up To attract more women into STEM
in shaping my career as a researcher. careers, parents need to encourage
Moreover, for my post-doctoral stud- challenges and break free from daughters to pursue higher studies and
ies, I worked at the Weizmann Institute stereotypical norms, if required. the family needs to be supportive of
of Science in Israel with Prof. Samuel young women to take up STEM careers.
Safran, one of the pioneers in the My research focuses on understanding If there are more women teachers, they
interdisciplinary areas of physics and the dynamics of living systems at vari- will serve as role models for young girls
biology. Working with his group was a ous length scales, starting from cellular to get inspired in this field.
stimulating and rewarding experience. processes to collective organisations
I was intrigued by the challenging prob- of species. We develop theoretical and Generally, getting a job in academia
lems in living matter systems and con- computational models to address emer- after completing higher studies takes
tinue to explore the complex dynamics gent problems like how do cells sense much longer time compared to other
of living organisms. the forces. Understanding mechanisms, fields. Hence, it becomes challenging
such as how cells respond to mechan- for women to balance family with a
After completing my post-doctoral ical forces, how tissues or organs career. It is particularly difficult to get
studies, I returned to India and was develop and how cells alternately stick an opportunity after a break in a career.
eager to set up my research group and slip while moving from one place In such cases, long-term fellowship
from the day I joined IISER Kolkata. to another, is crucial in designing thera- schemes for women by the government
However, it was a new institute in peutic approaches for several diseases, and the private sector would be helpful
2010, and a few students who joined cancer metastasis and diverse areas for gradual re-entry into academia.
the department had many options in in developmental biology. Our group’s
other interest is in the collective dynam- Academic Profile
Do what you like to do, do what ics of various species, such as flocking
makes you happy, and enjoy. of birds, cooperative hunting, or the for- BSc Physics (Hons), Serampore
mation of bacterial colonies. College
It is now a great time to pursue
interdisciplinary research. Young leaders must have a strong MSc, Rajabazar Science College,
motivation and conviction before University of Calcutta
You need to work hard, have they take up a leadership role. Stand
patience, and also persevere in up for the cause you believe in. Also, PhD, IISc Bengaluru
pursuing your goal. be ready to take up challenges and
break free from stereotypical norms, Post-doctoral studies, Weizmann
Institute of Science, Israel & Brown
University, US
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 75
Shalini S Arya, PhD
Associate Professor, Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT),
Mumbai
Shalini S Arya is a food technologist who leads research in improvement
of Indian traditional foods, product development and processing, and
developing newer food preservation technologies.
Iwas born and brought up in Nanded a great scope and opportunity nationally Keep yourself motivated; barriers are
located in Maharashtra’s Marathwada as well as internationally. The important part of life. You must present yourself
region. My father encouraged me to UN Sustainable Development Goals of in the best possible way. It is possible
take up food technology, as one of his no hunger, good health and well-being to make the barriers the reason for
known friends was a professor of food can be achieved through food science, your success. Always remember that
technology. As per his friend’s sugges- and thus one can easily get involved in the situation might be bad or worse.
tion, my father motivated me to apply contributing to society. It is a decent But changing the situation is com-
for and pursue this course. career option for those who have pletely in your hands. You are the boss
inclination. of your life. Encourage yourself. Learn
My parents had limited means; there- to dream, keep working for your dream,
fore, both of them worked hard to sup- The important UN Sustainable keep your aspirations high.
port and educate their kids. W children Development Goals of no hunger,
had to share household responsibilities. good health and well-being can be More fellowships, more funds to
I had to cook meals every day in my provide higher education and more
childhood; I hated it the most. I was not achieved through food science opportunities for girls and women can
interested in food technology, assuming increase their participation in STEM.
it was something related to cooking. Witnessing an increasing number of At the same time, better workplaces,
malnourished children, diabetic and daycare centres, more maternity leaves
But when I started the course, I realised cardiovascular disease-affected people and flexible work hours can help retain
it involved a lot of chemistry, mathe- in India, I wonder if food technology can more women in STEM careers.
matics and engineering. Soon I started minimise these problems. Developing
enjoying the course and it was fun diabetic and heart-friendly food using STEM education has a direct impact
learning food science. Coming from a locally-available resources and food
financially weak background, education staples that are regularly consumed by on society as it is a key driver of the
was the only key to solving all problems the locals is my area of research. India is
of poverty and hunger. That inspired me unfortunately becoming the capital for economy. The reason for lesser rep-
to study and perform the best in what- diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
ever I did. I won awards, fellowships and and thus developing cost-effective resentations of women in STEM is
grants during this journey. products and technologies is necessary.
I am striving to work on this. gender stereotypes. Parents, teach-
ers and mentors, government and
policymakers can help in changing
this situation.
I feel very satisfied with my career as a However, I had my own share of chal- Academic Profile
food technologist. Food technology has lenges. The ones in my professional
field, I could solve using my skills, knowl- BTech Food Sciences, College of
The situation might be bad or edge and wisdom. But the biggest chal- Food Technology, Marathwada
worse, but changing the situation lenge was the stereotypical behaviour Agriculture University, Parbhani,
is completely in your hands. that I received being a woman. This Maharashtra
challenge cannot be overcome as an
One should never quit. Keep your- individual, but we need to seek a solu- MTech Food Technology, PhD in
self motivated; barriers are part of tion as a society. Till today, people Food Engineering & Technology, ICT,
life. think that women cannot achieve or Mumbai
perform leadership roles due to their
Learn to dream, keep working for responsibilities of household duties CNPq-TWAS Postdoctoral Fellow,
your dream, keep your aspirations and motherhood. Engineering School of Lorena, Brazil,
high. 2019-20
My advice to young women in research
You are the boss of your life. would be this: –One should never quit. Memberships
Encourage yourself.
Executive Committee Member,
Global Young Academy INSA-INYAS
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 76
Shubha Tole, PhD
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
Shubha Tole is a neuroscience researcher engaged in discovering
how our brain is assembled and how the circuitry is created.
My fascination with the brain and assertive attitude was perceived them to be ready to give up or under-
came from within; rather my as ‘pushy and aggressive’, when the mine their aspirations and indepen-
brain inspired me to be a neu- same traits in men would be appreci- dence. The end result is that even
roscientist. I was fortunate to have a ated as ’leadership’. Because of this, I women who enter PhD programmes
father who believed I could do anything was left out of committees early in my may not have the same long-term
I wanted to do, and a mother, an occu- career at TIFR, each committee being ambitions as men do. We as a society
pational therapist working with cancer chaired by an ’old boy’ who preferred need to foster that marriage is not an
patients, who showed me by her exam- not to work with me. The international ultimate desirable state for a woman,
ple that one shouldn’t let one’s job defi- community was more progressive and I rather it is life-choice.
nition limit what one does in life. received recognition both for my work
and for my leadership skills early on. Science must be taught in schools as
I realised early on that women don’t Eventually, leadership roles did come
get the freedom to just be themselves. my way at TIFR and I worked to mak- a process of discovery, and not as a
We are stared at, questioned, and ing workplaces better and strengthen-
brought up to avoid even some simple ing the place of women in academia product to be taken from the shelf
pleasures. Giving up these small bits of and research as chair of the Women in
freedom is part of a silent conditioning Science panel of the Indian Academy and digested, or else students may get
that insidiously spills into every aspect of Sciences. My work led me to fasci-
of our lives. Women limit themselves in nating discoveries about how the brain turned off and abandon STEM sub-
areas like honing their intellect, making is built in the embryo.
life choices of marriage, having kids and jects later. The syllabus defines the
choosing a career. In my journey, I did Ignore opposition from people
not give up on any of these freedoms, I who think they know you better lower limit to what we can learn, not
suspect, because I didn’t even realise I
was supposed to. than you know yourself. the upper. Everyone has unique incli-
Professionally, I was once perceived My advice to young women profession- nations and talents. Therefore, lesson
as someone who won’t rock the boat, als is: ‘You have ONE life; find a way to
likeability being more important than express your voice’. If you enjoy a par- plans should introduce why the sub-
’ability’ for women. Within our tradi- ticular field, throw yourself into it with
tional old-boys club type of institu- abandon and free yourself to explore jects studied are important to cultivate
tion, my problem-solving approach it fully. Develop an inner voice that will
help counter the many objections you interest in students.
Society needs to cease telling will hear; ¬you will develop the thick skin
young girls that career may come required to push through the daily bar- Academic Profile
at the cost of family. riers of life. Learn to ignore opposition
from people who think they know you BSc Life Sciences & Biochemistry,
You have ONE life; you owe it to better than you know yourself. St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
yourself to find a way to express
your voice. A transformative social change is essen- MSc & PhD, Caltech, US
tial for any policy-level change to pro-
Don’t let your job description limit mote women in STEM to be effective. Post-doctoral fellow, University of
what you do in life. Don’t let your Society needs to cease telling young Chicago
syllabus limit what you learn. girls that career may come at the cost
of family, thus indirectly conditioning Awards & Fellowships
Infosys Science Foundation Award
for Life Sciences, 2014
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award,
2010
Research Award for Innovation
in Neurosciences, Society for
Neuroscience, US, 2008
National Woman Bioscientist Award,
DBT, 2008 Swarnajayanti Fellowship,
DST, 2005
Wellcome Trust Senior International
Fellowship, 1999
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 77
Smita Chaturvedi, PhD
Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary School of Science
Savitribai Phule Pune University
Smita Chaturvedi is a condensed matter physicist who is striving to
produce multi-functional nanomaterials, which may have potential use
in low-energy nanoscale devices for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Iwas born and brought up in Jabalpur. My journey into science has been a government and the private sector
Staring from school to completing my roller-coaster ride since I finished my need to address the issue of career
PhD, family friends and extraordinary master’s degree—from my decision not breaks for women due to family rea-
teachers in the city helped shape my to join the Officers Training Academy in sons. They need more consideration
personality as a science student. One Chennai, and instead opt to pursue a and flexibility only in the initial stages
of my elder cousins joined DRDO as a PhD to facing and sustaining uncertain while restarting their career. With sup-
scientist when I was in middle school. situations. Enduring a career break of port, women returning to work after
That was the first spark in my mind about seven years has been the biggest maternity breaks can be at par with
toward a career in science. setback in my professional journey. their peers soon enough in terms of
Coming back to the mainstream was knowledge and performance.
Pursuing PhD at an university in a smaller tough as opportunities were fewer and
city has its own challenges. As a young the beginning was hard. We need to change the classical
PhD student, I often felt disheartened
as I faced lack of research facilities and However, this journey has transformed approach to teaching STEM. Allowing
cooperation. During a scientific confer- me from being a science enthusi-
ence, I met a researcher from Bhabha ast to an experimental condensed learners to explore and experiment will
Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and matter physicist. The quest for mul-
requested him to allow me to work in tifunctional materials motivates me. add value to the learning outcomes.
BARC for conducting few experiments The approach of my work is mainly to
of my PhD work, to which he very gen- obtain multi-functionality of ferroic and The main challenge in imparting knowl-
erously agreed. I learned many things in multiferroic by tuning size, shape and
his lab in BARC and also got to visit IIT structure. edge in STEM subjects is maintaining
Bombay. This was a turning point in my
career. Later, during my research ten- The ups and downs of personal life the motivation level of middle and high
ure as a post-doc scholar at IIT Bombay, will impact and at times pull you
I was blessed to have great mentors like back; just keep going and cherish school students. Learning by doing and
Prof. Avinash Mahajan and Prof. Satish
Vitta. Prof. Sulabha Kulkarni, and Prof. every small achievement. connecting the concept with day-to-
Satishchandra Ogale, directly contrib-
uted to my growth and success while I have met some great scientific lead- day examples will help. The other chal-
working as a DST women scientist at ers in my life. I feel empathy and pas-
IISER Pune. Fortunately, a positive sion are key to leadership in any field. lenge is males outnumber females in
atmosphere and great mentors were Women must learn when and what to
always around me at every stage of my speak and do not hesitate to share the STEM-educated population. Girls
research life. their opinion where it is important.
Presenting your opinion without hesi- in developing countries grow up with
Empathy and passion are key to tation is a skill that needs to be honed.
leadership in any field. Resilience in the face of criticism and prejudice and face gender bias. Thus,
failures is another quality that takes
The government and the private any leader a long way. teachers have a great role in instilling
sector need to address the issue
of career breaks for women due to I would encourage women to take up confidence and helping young girls pur-
family reasons. a career in STEM research. My advice
is to never give up, stay focused and sue science careers.
Teachers have a great role in instill- be patient. The ups and downs of
ing confidence and helping young personal life will impact, and at times Academic Profile
girls pursue science careers. pull you back; just keep going and
cherish every small achievement. The BSc, MSc Solid State Physics,
PhD in Condensed Matter Physics,
Rani Durgawati University, Jabalpur
Fellowships &
Memberships
Fulbright Nehru Academic &
Professional Excellence Fellowship,
2018
DST WOS-A Fellowship, 2013,
2016, 2019
Member of Organisation for Women
in Science for the Developing World
Member of Society for Material
Chemistry, India
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 78
Somdutta Sen, PhD
Vice President, R&D, Sphaera Pharma Pvt. Ltd.
Manesar, Haryana
Somdutta Sen has 23 years of R&D experience in life sciences.
which includes drug discovery and proteomics-based biomarker
discovery for different diseases.
I was born in Kolkata and brought Though trained as an organic chem- financially independent and never get
up in Delhi. Inspiration for taking ist, I slowly drifted to the field of bogged down by criticism. Once you
up science came from my siblings, biology starting with structural biol- have a family, try to maintain a balance
who all had pursued science stream. ogy, moving to biomarker discovery between profession and career. As a
As kids, we had set up a makeshift and finally to drug discovery. Since woman leader, when you see other
lab in our house to conduct small childhood, medicine has always women succeeding, cheer for them
experiments mentioned in our sci- intrigued me. I would often read drug as they are paving the way for other
ence textbooks during our summer compositions on medicine strips and women to succeed.
vacation. These activities probably bottles. My fascination for drug dis-
sowed the seed for taking up science covery leapt after joining Sphaera. Women should never ever take up sci-
later. I learned how to think innovatively ence as a subject under pressure; you
and how to conceptualise a project won’t enjoy it for long. To achieve suc-
For STEM education, teachers must and take it forward from Sundeep cess in the field of science, be ready
have an innovative style of teaching Dugar, PhD, founder-director of to take risks, be innovative, maintain
and they must be capable of instill- Sphaera Pharma. integrity and never opt for a short-cut
ing collaborative problem-solving in approach.
their students. I had decent teach- Be ready to take risks,
ers and was always encouraged by be innovative, maintain integrity At the school level, young girls
my parents for these kinds of activ-
ities. I got tremendous encourage- and never opt for a short-cut should be told about global and
ment and support later from my PhD approach.
guide Prof. GBV Subramanian. Post national women STEM icons.
marriage, I got all necessary support I have significantly contributed to the
from my husband, especially during development, implementation and Teachers should convince parents
my PhD days. control of pre-clinical studies of phar-
macological compounds, validating to support their daughters if they
Never ever take up science as a outcomes for oncology programmes,
subject under pressure; you won’t tuberculosis and metabolic disorders. are passionate about STEM subjects.
enjoy it for long. I am a co-inventor in multiple patents
applied by Sphaera Pharma. The government should also proac-
Once you have a family, try to
maintain balance between profes- During my career, I didn’t face any tively support mothers to join back
sion and career. opposition from my family and always
got tremendous support. However, after childbirth. It should open more
When you see other women suc- I had to go through the struggle of
ceeding, cheer for them as they are maintaining a balance between my creches at or close to the workplace
paving the way for other women to career and aspirations and managing
succeed. my home and kids. so that women can focus on their
Parents must support their daugh- My first advice to next-gen women research and spend enough time at
ters if they are passionate about is whatever be the situation, never
STEM subjects. give up and be extremely focused the workplace.
towards achieving your goal. Try to be
Academic Profile
BSc (Hons) & MSc Chemistry,
St. Stephen’s College, University
of Delhi
PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry,
University of Delhi
Awards
Young Investigators Award, Gordon
Research Conference on CAG
repeat disorders, Italy
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 79
Sonika Bhatnagar, PhD
Professor & Head, Department of Biological Sciences & Engineering
Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), Delhi
Sonika Bhatnagar is a structural biologist who studies drug targets for infectious
diseases using machine learning models with high accuracy. She is busy probing
molecular and structural basis for heart disease in COVID-19 patients.
Iwas brought up by a working mother awarded for my solution. My interest but your work will always strengthen
who struggled to make ends meet and future work in drug targets started you again and again. In your younger
while bringing up three children sin- from there, and I chose cardiovascular years, you will receive time, mentoring
gle-handedly. I had lost my father at disease to work on. and advice from your mentors. Be sure
a very early age. I had a natural bent to give back, pass it on to students and
for language, mathematics and science. Women must be vocal about younger colleagues.
HG Wells, Peter Benchley and Stephen their research and must not
Hawking fascinated me. Encouraged by shy away from showcasing the There need to be more girl students in
my physics teacher, Sonam Sir, I started same at scientific platforms. STEM careers at the undergraduate level.
haunting the physics lab at school, Financial support for taking up STEM in
meticulously taking readings and pains- For research, I have established a schools, opportunities in undergraduate
takingly performing experiments. Thus Computational and Structural Biology education, involving girls in novel prob-
started my love for physics and biology, Laboratory at NSIT. I am responsible lem-solving projects, and helping them
which I would combine in later years of for the overall execution of teaching hone their skills will be good measures.
study at AIIMS. and research in the department. This Women leaders in STEM must receive
includes policy decisions, financial plan- recognition without any prejudice.
Stepping from school into the world of ning, infrastructuredevelopment, course
AIIMS was a dream come true. Working conduction, coordinating and aligning Despite having good STEM infrastruc-
with Prof. TP Singh, my PhD mentor, I with university authorities, forging collab-
built up my knowledge of protein struc- oration within and outside the university. ture and very sharp minds, students
tures and drug design. Moving into a
faculty position at NSUT isolated me While I struggled with the challenges of often do not see how their work trans-
professionally. I was the only biologist in building a new department while carry-
an organisation full of engineers. Soon ing out my teaching and research, none lates in the real world and lose interest.
I realised my thirst for knowledge was of it was because of any unfair treatment
unquenched and there was something as a woman. In fact, many of my male We need to engage students not only in
more that I needed to seek. and female colleagues were extremely
supportive—freely sharing their advice the labs and classrooms but in the real
Soon I came across a challenge and experience. I found that if you do
posted by Innocentive, a worldwide your work with sincerity, very few of world—make it mandatory for industries
crowd-sourcing website, for solving these things impinge on your world.
industrial problems. A pharmaceutical to offer training opportunities to STEM
company wanted to find the best thera- Listen to and trust your gut instinct.
peutic drug targets for the treatment of Women have a natural flair for solving students. Problem-solving should be
obesity, a growing problem in America. complex problems, for leadership, and
Looking at the problem with years of for leading by example. Very often, made lucrative and open to all inven-
training behind me, I found it easy to women in science tend to sit back and
pose a solution, and soon received an not talk about their work. Women must tors, instead of being offered to a select
email from Innocentive that I would be be vocal about their research and must
not shy away from showcasing the same few elite scientists. Crowd-sourcing is
Women have a natural flair for at scientific platforms.
solving complex problems, for lead- the right step in this direction.
ership, and for leading by example. A career in science is demanding. It
requires discipline and devotion beyond Academic Profile
A career in science is demanding. the ordinary. Setbacks and failures
It requires discipline and devotion will occur. There will be marriage and BSc (Hons) Human Biology; MSc,
beyond the ordinary. motherhood, illness and heartbreak, PhD & Post-doc Research in
Biophysics, AIIMS, New Delhi
Awards
Commendable Research Award, NSUT
Dr S Radhakrishnan Distinguished
Professor of Biotechnology Award,
International Multidisciplinary
Research Foundation, Vijayawada
Kalpana Chawla Memorial
Excellence Award for Woman
Achiever in Higher Education,
Guru Kashi University, Bathinda
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 80
Sonu Gandhi, PhD
Scientist D, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad
Visiting Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
Sonu Gandhi leads research in developing biosensing
probes for clinical and nutritional applications and novel
nanomaterials for targeted drug delivery and therapeutics.
Iwas born and brought up in Aligarh, motivating. There are various turning mostly by men. Therefore, gender
admiring ideologies and not ideals. points in a woman’s life. And being
I firmly believe anyone excelling a person who has closely witnessed balance is required in all fields. To
or striving for excellence can inspire influential and strong women,I was
us, which is exactly what happened encouraged at every phase of my life attract more women to STEM careers,
in my life. I was inspired by former to move ahead in my work and stay
President APJ Abdul Kalam. Apart focused while confronting obstacles the involvement of women scientists
from parents and mentors, success with optimism.
stories of women like Kiran Majumdar should be ensured in committees on
Shaw and Kalpana Chawla motivated Do not let anyone tell you:
me to work towards achieving my “You can’t do what you aspire for.” various national and international plat-
goals.
If anyone does, ignore, smile forms. Allowances may be made for
Curiosity led me to excel in my career and carry on.
in science. Interest and aptitude in sci- career breaks and more schemes may
ence is the first major step. A career I always believe that obstacles—big or
in STEM needs patience and consis- small—are faced at almost every stage. be incorporated for facilitating acceler-
tent hard work, but is quite satisfy- Those may be personal or professional.
ing. The key research undertaken by But both affect our work and life. Life is ation after rejoining. The service period
our lab was in developing bio-sens- never going to be easy for anyone and
ing probes for clinical and nutritional challenges are what make it interesting. for women can be increased to five
applications, chemical modification I believe it is never always a smooth
of biomolecules for the generation journey for anyone, and my case is years to make up for the time lost due
of specific antibodies against antibi- no different. The skills I inculcated to
otics, pesticides, toxins or clinically come out of my hard times were a pos- to maternity and family reasons. And
important diseases. We also steered itive attitude and a habit to make con-
the discovery of novel biomarkers for tinual efforts. once all these are accomplished, there
the design of efficient, affordable and
cost-effective lab-on-a-chip. If you have an aptitude for science will be no further need to emphasise
and you enjoy it, just step in. Never be
Everywhere around me, I’ve always afraid of the troubles that come your this matter again.
seen women juggling between so many way; roadblocks are meant to test your
roles and still giving their best. I found courage and willingness to change. Academic Profile
this trait of women exceptionally They will only increase your endurance
and bring out the best in you. And this BSc (Hons) Botany, Aligarh Muslim
If you have an aptitude for sci- is what makes life meaningful. If I can, University
ence and you enjoy it, just step in. then you can as well. Be strong and
strive to achieve your dreams. Do not MSc Microbiology, Jiwaji University,
Roadblocks are meant to test let anyone tell you: “You can’t do what Gwalior
your courage and willingness to you aspire for.” If anyone does, ignore,
change. smile and carry on. PhD Biotechnology,
CSIR-Institute of Microbial
A career in STEM needs patience Women in STEM is a matter of empha- Technology, Chandigarh
and consistent hard work. sis. When we look at leadership posi-
tions in India, high ones are occupied Awards, Fellowships &
Memberships
Alexander Fleming Excellence
Award, AIIMS, Delhi
SERB Women Excellence Award
Best Young Scientist Award,
IIT-BHU, Varanasi
DBT-BioCare Women Scientist
Award
Postdoc Scholarship, Marie Curie
COFUND
Senior Research Fellowship, CSIR
Member of NASI, INYAS, Australian
Academy of Sciences, American
Chemical Society,
Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 81
Sreelaja Nair, PhD
Associate Professor, Biosciences & Bioengineering, IIT Bombay
Former Assistant Professor, TIFR, Mumbai
Sreelaja Nair is a developmental biologist who studies the non-genetic
mechanisms of cell movement and cell size in contributing to the shape
of an embryo during its development.
Iwas born and brought up in Mumbai. develop abnormally. I have always opine about your career, you will have
I was unaware of research as a been interested in how cells move to fewer regrets later.
career; no one inspired me for shape embryos in 3D. We have opti-
research. I was also unaware that I mised strategies that allow us to take a A major shortcoming in promoting
could enjoy research until after com- non-genetic approach towards under- women in STEM is that the discover-
pleting my master’s degree in micro- standing how cells move in embryos to ies being taught are mostly narratives
biology when I joined the lab of Prof. shape the front-back and top-bottom of men by men. Women are unlikely to
Veronica Rodrigues in TIFR for a axis of an embryo during development. view a career in STEM because there
junior research fellow (JRF) position. It allows us to focus on physical param- are so few narratives of successful
Eventually, I decided to pursue a PhD eters, rather than genetics, during women in STEM. We must highlight
and perhaps somewhere in that pur- embryonic development. Our long- ALL women in STEM, who prevailed
suit, and research consolidated as a term interest is to try and understand against odds. This must be made man-
career choice. My husband’s support how embryo and organ shapes emerge datory in all curricula, especially at the
for my career enabled me to unapolo- during development. school level.
getically focus on what I wanted with-
out compromise. There is a moment I doubt if policy changes for Personally, I doubt if policy changes
while doing research where you are promoting women in STEM
the only one in the world to have a will make a huge difference; for promoting women in STEM will
particular knowledge. That feeling is it might just make men think
indescribable. I still do benchwork in that women made it because make a huge difference; it might just
the lab and have my own lab bench,
which my students are not allowed to of special treatment. make men think that women made
take over.
I never faced any barriers owing to my it because of special treatment.
My research group addresses the sig- gender. I have an extremely support-
nificance of molecular contributions ive personal environment, where my Affirmative action does not work;
from the egg and sperm for develop- career is valued at par with anyone
ment of the zygote. We use the zebraf- else`s. My mother had her career at a rather it makes policymakers think
ish embryo as our model system and time when daycare was non-existent
some of our work has revealed that in and everyone pitched in at home. So they did something concrete to fix the
addition to molecular pathways, phys- for a woman to have a career was not
ical components like cell size affect a negotiation point at all while grow- problem. In reality, such policies high-
how embryos develop. With cells of ing up. A few years back though, I
the wrong sizes, zebrafish embryos encountered situations where senior light the marginalised status and sour
academicians in positions of authority
If you are in a leadership posi- have been unkind and unprofessional the ecosystem. My view is that the cor-
tion, reinforce a balanced gender in their conduct. That is a story for
representation. another time. rective action needs to start early for
There are so few narratives of suc- We must remember that just being in girls that a career is not something one
cessful women in STEM. a leadership role does not fix a gen-
der-imbalanced ecosystem. If you are does because one wants to keep busy;
Set the boundaries that no one but in a leadership position, reinforce a bal-
you can opine about your career. anced gender representation. If you set it is a means of financial sustenance
the boundaries that no one but you can
for oneself.
Academic Profile
MSc Microbiology, University of
Bombay
PhD & Post-doc Fellow, University
of California, Irvine
Post-doc Fellow, University of
Wisconsin-Madison
Fellowship
DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance
Intermediate Fellowship
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 82
Sudeshna Sinha, PhD
Deputy Director & Professor, Department of Physical Sciences
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali
Ex-Faculty, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore
Ex-Faculty, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
Sudeshna Sinha’s work in the field of non-linear physics spans over a hundred
papers and several patents. Her work has been highlighted in Nature News &
Views, Scientific American and MIT Technology Review.
My father was a chemical engineer Losing sight of the basic motivation Losing sight of the basic motivation
and my mother was the found- underlying one’s choice of underlying one’s choice of profession
er-principal of a school. My par- in the face of negative feedback, self-
ents have had a lasting influence on me. profession in the face of negative pity and self-doubt is one of the big-
They impressed upon me at a very early feedback, self-pity and self-doubt is gest dangers of being a minority in any
stage that a profession is not just a job; one of the biggest dangers of being profession.
rather, one’s involvement with it defines
one’s life. They were open and without a minority in any profession. Over the years, the real change has
a shred of prejudice. My research men- been the acceptance that women
tors in TIFR offered me wide a range The biggest challenge in my career are as capable as men of engaging in
of ideas to work with. Their vision and was returning to academia after child- quality science. Of course, affirmative
taste for what constitutes good science birth. One must accept that the break action at various levels, especially at
still motivates me. My post-doc mentor, enforces some drop in productivity, the school level, provides opportuni-
a woman, taught me what it really takes and that is absolutely okay. One just ties and somewhat levels the playing
to succeed as a woman scientist in a has to muster the will and strength to field. This has definitely widened the
predominantly man’s world. get back to research, and maintain a net of women moving towards careers
balance between work and mother- in science. But flourishing beyond the
I work in the field of non-linear science, hood. The rigours of IIT Kanpur and initial entry point has been enabled
chaos and complex networks. In par- TIFR had made me extremely resilient due to a slow and subtle acceptance of
ticular, I worked on controlling chaotic and helped me not give up after the women as peers. This breaking of ste-
systems, and our results on adaptive professionally lean period that natu- reotypes has to be sustained and fur-
control were among the earliest in the rally follows child-bearings. ther strengthened.
field of chaos control. Another import-
ant thread in my research is the devel- It is also important to note that the I do think the manner in which STEM
opment of the novel concept of ‘chaos main points of ‘leak’ in the professional is being taught in premier Institutes
computing’, a new computing technique pipeline are marriage and childbirth. in India is actually excellent and on
that uses networks of chaotic elements Negotiating choices, balancing pres- par with what is on offer in leading
to implement logic operations. This sure and competing demands of pro- international universities. In general,
development, which straddles both fessional and personal expectations I believe teaching must find a way to
basic science and technology, can sig- are more difficult for women than men. combine the rigours of problem-solving
nificantly impact integrated chip design Also in practical terms, as this is a com- with glimpses of unknown frontiers to
and performance. petitive field, it is often difficult to get trigger curiosity and the potential for
back to the career track after taking a growth beyond the curriculum.
A profession is not just a job, break. So once you lose women mid-ca-
rather one’s involvement with it reer (or they are slowed down), there Academic Profile
defines one’s life. are not enough at the next level. The
problem is there are significantly less BSc & MSc Physics, IIT Kanpur
Negotiating choices and balancing women in the higher rungs of academia
the pressures of professional and and so the pool from which leaders are PhD, TIFR, Mumbai
personal expectations are more chosen is much smaller for women.
difficult for women. Post-doctoral studies, International
Gender bias is pervasive. I dealt with Centre for Theoretical Physics,
Teaching must find a way to com- it by simply recalling the primary rea- Trieste, Italy
bine the rigours of problem-solv- son why I am in this profession. I always
ing with glimpses of unknown told myself that I had to ‘own my choice’ Awards & Fellowships
frontiers to trigger curiosity. of doing science, and that I loved the
process of being engaged in research. Birla Award for Physics
J C Bose National Fellowship
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 83
Sudipta Sengupta, PhD
Retd. Professor and Emeritus Scientist, Jadavpur University, Kolkata
Sudipta Sengupta has acclaimed international fame by becoming the first Indian
woman geologist to have worked in Antarctica. She is the only woman recipient
of the coveted Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize in the field of earth sciences.
My meteorologist father always I worked at GSI for a few years and back-breaking. But for me, it was not
encouraged me to study sci- later moved to Sweden and the rocks or stones that I carried; rather it
ence. My parents were pro- United Kingdom for my post-doctoral was new knowledge that I would create
gressive and always wanted their kids research. At the Imperial College by studying them. I feel proud to be one
to be independent and self-supporting. London, I did my research with of the first Indian women to set foot in
My choice to study geology was not renowned Prof. Janet Watson. I also Antarctica. All this happened because
guided by long-drawn thoughts at all. interacted with Prof. John Ramsay, I followed my dream and chose my
After higher secondary, I decided to an authority on structural geology. I destiny.
study physics. However, at the inter- joined Jadavpur University in 1982 as a
view at Jadavpur University, my candid faculty and very soon got a chance to I also took up mountaineering as a
confession of being an avid traveler led be a team member of the Third Indian hobby and was a member of the first
me to choose geology. A professor sug- Scientific Expedition to Antarctica. all-women’s expeditions to Ronti in 1967
gested that a geologist’s life involved We prepared a geological map of the and Lalana in 1970.
travel to remote places for field work. It Schirmacher Hills, a small rocky range,
was an impetuous decision, but it gave about 70 km inland from the coast. In my four decades of teaching, I have
me my mission and thrill in life . It was the first geological map of the
area. seen the number of girls in geology
Calcutta then had a strong base for
geology owing to the presence of the I discovered that girls usually classes increase from three or four to
Geological Survey of India (GSI). Soon did not choose geology because
I discovered two things. First, geology it involves rigorous fieldwork. almost fifty per cent of the class. Now
was a decent choice for me as I loved I followed my dream and chose
science, travel and adventure. Second, they are stars in their own right, shin-
it was a male-dominated field. Also, my destiny.
only a few universities permitted girls ing in their respective professions.
to study geology as it involved rigorous I am curious about structures and
fieldwork. how they are formed or destroyed However, we need more women to take
over millions of years. The major part
Family support always was the back- of my research in structural geology up science as a profession. A large num-
bone of my progress. During my PhD, involved combining geological field
my mother would accompany me to studies with laboratory experiments ber of women scientists leave research
field trips that lasted for a few months using analogue models and theoretical
at times. My supervisor, Prof. Subir analyses and projections. Most of my after their marriage or childbirth. The
Ghosh, honed me as a fine structural research deals with the evolution of
geologist. structures through multiple deforma- funding for research in science needs
tion conditions.
It is hard for a woman geologist to be increased to bring and keep
to balance domestic issues, the Being a woman geologist, I faced sev-
laboratory and outdoor fieldwork. eral challenges. Fifty years ago, the more women in the fold. I do hope that
luxury of decent accommodation or
We need more women to take up communication was not available to shortly, we will have a different India
science as a profession. a young woman to work in remote vil-
lages in India. It was physically exhaust- where every girl will be able to choose
The funding for research in science ing and mentally strenuous for me to
needs to be increased to bring and walk miles and miles to locate rocks her destiny.
keep more women in the fold. that would interest me. Walking with a
rucksack full of rocks was tiresome and Academic Profile
BSc & MSc Geology, PhD, Jadavpur
University
Post-doctoral Fellow, Imperial
College, London & Uppsala
University
Awards & Fellowships
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, CSIR
National Mineral Award, Department
of Mines
Antartic Award , Department of
Ocean Development
DN Wadia Medal, INSA
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 84
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Sulochana Gadgil, PhD
Former Chairman & Professor
Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (CAOS)
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
Sulochana Gadgil is a famed meteorologist who worked on deciphering the
Indian monsoon dynamics and used her research for applications in agriculture.
Iwas born in Pune on June 7, 1944. its links with atmospheric convection I joined IISc in 1973 where I got an
I was fortunate to be born in the city over tropical oceans and the relation- opportunity to carry out both cutting
of Pune that pioneered girls’ edu- ship of such convection with the sea edge research as well as research of
cation in the 19th century. My family surface temperature (SST). social relevance in India. I began my
valued education and gave it utmost work on monsoon patterns in collab-
importance. Women who want to work in oration with D R Sikka, an expert on
the field must accept scientific monsoons.
I did my schooling at the Rishi Valley challenges and enjoy the work.
and that institution changed my per- We discovered the important role
spective on learning and I understood For my PhD at Harvard, I worked on the played by the formation and northward
science as a curiosity-driven enter- modelling of the meanders of the Gulf propagations of the cloud band over
prise. My teachers were quite sincere Stream and further honed my model- the equatorial Indian Ocean that influ-
and the focus was more on learning and ling skills by taking up a post-doctoral enced the Indian summer monsoon.
not on competition to get marks. fellowship with Prof. Jule Charney This resulted in a landmark research
at the Massachusetts Institute of publication.
Out of 78 years of my life, I have spent Technology (MIT).
57 years conducting research on vari- My studies demonstrated that the mon-
ous facets of atmospheric and oceanic A major inspiration for me to do sci- soon is not a gigantic land-sea breeze;
sciences as well as their applications in entific research came from the years rather it is a manifestation of the sea-
agriculture. I spent at Harvard and MIT, where sonal migration of a planetary scale
I learnt from the leaders in my field system, evident over non-monsoonal
My research work has made significant and participated with them in grap- regions as well.
contributions to the understanding of pling with exciting, though difficult,
the Indian monsoon and its variability, problems. I was amongst the first to analyse
satellite-derived cloudiness over trop-
I have always believed in The vibrant atmosphere of the Indian ical oceans and demonstrate the pres-
the power of interdisciplinary Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, ence of a SST threshold of about 280C
research. which I joined later, ensured that the for organised convection.
joy of doing high quality research con-
Women researchers must not tinues to this day. Understanding and predicting the
be hired because of gender, year-to-year variation of the monsoon
but strictly for their merit and I was always interested in studying remains the most challenging problem
competence. applied mathematics. I chose to work today. My studies have shown that a
on ocean models at Harvard, because critical role in this variation is played by
I have suggested flexibility in age my husband, also a student at Harvard, the equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation
metrics used for hiring women sci- was interested in studying oceans from (EQUINOO).
entists. I am completely opposed a biological perspective.
to hiring or promoting women just The skill in predicting the monsoon
to satisfy an imposed quota. After PhD, I decided to focus on mon- rainfall is poor because of poor skill in
soon dynamics as it was clearly the predicting EQUINOO and its link to
Being aggressive about recogni- most challenging problem in atmo- the monsoon in models.
tion and leadership roles will pre- spheric sciences and of importance to
vent you from enjoying research India. I brought together perspectives and
work. data from disparate fields. None of
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 86
the economists had quantitatively Thus, I never had to face any gender Academic Profile
assessed the impact of the monsoon bias at the personal and professional
on agriculture and the gross domestic front. During my brief stint at the Indian BSc, MSc Applied Mathematics, Pune
product (GDP). Institute of Tropical Meterorology University
(IITM) in Pune, I got an opportunity to
I did that and showed that despite a interact with top meteorologists, and PhD in Applied Mathematics),
substantial decrease in the contribu- they mentored me in a very enabling Harvard University, US
tion of agriculture to the GDP over way.
the last five decades, the impact of Post-doctoral fellowship, MIT, US
droughts on the GDP has remained My experience as a woman scientist
large (2-5 per cent) throughout. has always been satisfactory from when Awards
I was a student till now. My professors
I have always believed in the power of were extremely encouraging and I have Life-time Excellence Award for Earth
interdisciplinary research and devel- always had colleagues and collabora- Sciences, Indian Ministry of Earth
oped collaboration with agricultural tors who respected me as a scientist. Sciences (MoES), 2016
scientists, ecologists as well as farmers.
Together, we developed a theoretical I have been particularly fortunate in National Award for Lifetime
framework for identifying optimum getting a job at IISc, the best institute Achievement in Atmospheric
farming strategies using crop models in the country, just after I embraced Science and Technology, MoES,
in conjunction with climate variability motherhood. However, several bright 2008
data. women have to give up research when
they have children and the law that pro- Norman Borlaug Award, 1996
Responding to demands of farmers hibits hiring new scientists after the age
from a semi-arid part of Karnataka, of 35 precludes women from getting a Shri Hari Om Ashram Prerit Dr
I used this approach to determine the permanent job when they have the Vikram Sarabhai Award, 1989
optimum sowing rates for groundnut to time and inclination.
maximise average long-term returns. Fellowships
With all this work, it was natural for me Indian Academy of Sciences
to assume a leadership role. I played a
key role in the establishment and nur- Indian National Science Academy
turing of the CAOS at IISc.
Indian Meteorological Society
I have spearheaded the development
and execution of the Indian Climate So I have suggested flexibility in age
Research Programme comprising metrics used for hiring women scien-
major projects over the Bay of Bengal, tists. I am completely opposed to hiring
the Arabian Sea and Indian monsoon or promoting women just to satisfy an
zone. I have been quite active in sev- imposed quota. I believe that no woman
eral international climate research researcher must be hired or promoted
programmes. because of her gender; rather it should
be strictly on the basis of her merit and
I was fortunate to be married into a competence.
progressive family. Both my husband
and I decided to pursue PhD abroad, My only advice to women who want to
and luckily, we both got admission to work in the field is to accept scientific
Harvard. Our families supported us in challenges and enjoy the work.
every way.
I was never in a rat race to win awards,
as I had confidence in the quality of my
research work. Success in terms of rec-
ognition, leadership roles, etc. will nat-
urally follow. Being aggressive about
such goals will prevent you from enjoy-
ing the work.
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 87
Upasana Ray, PhD
Senior Scientist & Deputy Head
Infectious Diseases & Immunology Division
CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata
Upasana Ray is a translational researcher and works on engineering
virus-like particle-based vaccine candidates against several viruses.
My scientist father worked vaccine candidates for other viruses. keeping work hours same and also
towards shaping me as a sci- I have appeared on Rajya Sabha TV arrangements to bring minor kids to
entist. My PhD mentor Prof. and Barkha Dutt Live for discussion on work. Family is one of the most import-
Saumitra Das at the Indian Institute of SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccines. ant reasons for women taking a step
Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and my post- back from STEM. Thus, flexibility in
doc mentor Christopher Buck, PhD, at Competition in the field and completing work hours through a com-
the US National Institutes of Health hurdles that I faced as a woman bination of in-person and remote atten-
(NIH) made me understand the nature dance should be applied to women
of virology research and its applica- in STEM kept me active so employees.
tions. I don’t have many people who that I could prove myself and
directly influenced my professional life Our education system is sound.
in that sense. I faced various hurdles attain success. However, I think even in school and col-
like several other women in science do leges, project-based international travel
and I would say that overcoming obsta- Being a woman in STEM in a male-dom- and exposure to international organisa-
cles influenced me and groomed me as inated field partially puts you in a tions is important. The other point that
a better crisis manager. pool of hurdles in general. That is true I think can be modified is the number
in my case as well. I try to keep my of subjects and areas that students of
At NIH, Bethesda, I worked on virus hopes high, work hard and overcome STEM study at pre-PhD levels. The sub-
assembly and engineering virus-like those. Managing family and working jects in general could be modified as
particles for vaccine engineering together is another area that is difficult per recent requirements of STEM.
against viral diseases. My work on virus- for all women. I try to balance both.
like particle-based vaccines against a Competition in the field and hurdles Academic Profile
viral disease called progressive multifo- that I faced as a woman in STEM kept
cal leukoencephalopathy got translated me active so that I could prove myself BSc & MSc, University of Delhi
into one of my most significant publica- and attain success. I have received a
tions in Science Translational Medicine few prestigious awards and those were PhD, Indian Institute of Science,
and also bagged a US patent, granted in the motivation and driving force to Bangalore
2018. This work was also highlighted at keep my survival curve in STEM on a
different scientific platforms. Further, continuous rise and not become satu- Post doctoral fellowship: National
this was licensed off to an India-based rated for long. Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda,
company for further development. United States
So, this work went from laboratory Always trust your abilities and perse-
to industry and the technology that vere to hit your targets. Work hard and Awards & Fellowships
I learnt established the foundation for work smart. Never cry without putting
my laboratory. At present, we work on cent per cent of your effort into achiev- ILDC-AMP Woman Excellence
engineering viruses like particle based ing your goals. I would recommend that Award. International Leadership
hard work and confidence is the key in Development Council, 2020
Overcoming obstacles influ- this field. Women must express their
enced me and groomed me as a views in the community. Women should SERB-DST Women Excellence
better crisis manager. read and learn stories of successful Award. 2019
women leaders in the same field, a lot
Always trust your abilities and of motivation will come from there. Early Career Research Award, SERB,
persevere to hit your targets. 2019
Recruitment of more women at var-
Women must express their views ious organisations and also at deci- Federal Technology Transfer Award,
in the community. sion-making positions is important. NIH, 2014
Women should be allowed flexibility at
workplaces like flexible reporting time, SERB POWER Fellowship, DST-
SERB, 2021
Ramalingaswami Fellowship, DBT,
2016
Ramanujan Fellowship. SERB. 2015
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 88
Vandana Gambhir, PhD
Principal Technical Officer, Grant’s Office and IPR Cell
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune
Former Grant Adviser at DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance
Vandana Gambhir is a grants management and intellectual property rights (IPR)
expert. She manages research projects implementation, facilitates research
agreements and MoUs, and trains scientists in the same.
Ihail from Kharar, a small town in action to queries received from the systems, and hence it can only be built
Punjab, and was brought up in patent office, IPR policy formulation on cooperation.
Chandigarh. I had my first stint with and its implementation, and licensing
research administration while pursuing of technology. The scope of research management is
my PhD and post-doctoral studies. I got wide, and hence, women who wish to
the opportunity then to manage the If you want to go fast, go alone; lead in this area must strive to under-
research requirements of the group as if you want to go far, go together. stand the spectrum of research ecosys-
well as support my mentors in putting tem—being sensitive to the researchers
proposals for research project fund- As a researcher, I undertook challeng- need, research funding calls, priority
ing. I decided to switch gears to full- ing projects that required the exper- areas, online grants management sys-
time research administration, with a tise of a microbiologist, cell biologist, tem, and legal and regulatory require-
job opportunity at the DBT/Wellcome immunologist, structural biologist and ments for undertaking a research
Trust India Alliance. The work involved a molecular biologist. This gave me a project. It is a new and evolving ecosys-
performing due diligence on funding chance to develop a know-how of mul- tem and poses the scope for men and
applications, finding reviewers, meet- tiple fields. Setting up office processes, women professionals who are open-
ing screening and selection committee expanding the team, getting capable minded, ready to unlearn and learn
requirements and providing support to people and training them as per job new tools and processes.
the awarded applicants during the proj- requirements were the key challenges
ect period. that I faced when I started the grants In my field, women often face the
office at IISER. However, processes and
I was lucky to receive an opportunity operations soon fell in place due to the challenge of being unable to be asser-
to lead the grants office and IPR cell support of the institute leadership, my
of IISER Pune that provides support to colleagues and peers. tive due to the bureaucratic ladder.
facilitate partnerships with the indus-
try and academia. The office shares I have grown professionally by being This can be taken care of by involving
funding opportunities with research- open to any challenge. I have been
ers, helps them understand nuances constantly striving to strengthen the women leaders in deliberation and
of the funding provisions and provides research system both at local and at
support to faculty to do budgeting for national levels. I had to allay all mis-in- policymaking. We need to have more
R&D projects. In addition, I oversee the formation along with building the best
implementation of funding agencies’ management team and constantly women leaders, whose achievements
policy, monitor fund flow on grants and training them to raise the standards of
ensure timely submission of reports management at par with a professional are celebrated. More internships or
and statement of accounts. My role as management organisation. This task
the coordinator of the IPR cell is to facil- was arduous even when I managed to short trainings would improve the
itate the due diligence of inventions by get all support from both internal and
researchers, patent protection, timely external stakeholders. Yet, given the outcome of STEM careers for women.
returns it brought, it is definitely an
Research administration and exciting and rewarding journey. Women need accommodation facilities
management are a vital part of There is a proverb that says ‘if you during these short-term training, and
want to go fast, go alone; if you want
research. to go far, go together’. Research sup- hence, authorities should deliberate on
port services are like a circulatory sys-
We need a policy on making tem, whose function is to support all how this can be provided.
research management career a Academic Profile
lucrative option. BSc Microbiology, Punjab University,
Chandigarh
MSc, Guru Nanak Dev University,
Amritsar
PhD, Institute of Microbial
Technology, Chandigarh
Awards & Fellowships
IRMI Research Grant Award
DBT Post-graduate Fellowship
CSIR JRF/SRF
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 89
Vatsala Thirumalai, PhD
Associate Professor
Senior Fellow, DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance
National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), TIFR, Bengaluru
Vatsala Thirumalai leads fundamental research in neuroscience at
NCBS. She uses zebrafish to understand how animals move around
and how the neural commands for locomotion are generated.
Growing up, I wasn’t aware of any of larval zebrafish—small freshwater fish critical life choices—getting married and
scientists in my family or friends transparent during early life stages. Our having children. Several women drop
circle. It was my natural curios- research has revealed several interest- out of science because the choice they
ity that led me to this field. I had some ing aspects of how the nervous system make is incompatible with the scientific
very good teachers in school and col- controls movement patterns. We dis- career path. For example, the location
lege who nurtured my natural interest covered that one type of nerve cells has where the spouse works may not pro-
in science. My parents offered constant a special property called bistability, i.e., vide opportunities for research; access
encouragement to follow whatever field they exist in one of two states, just like a to childcare may not be available.
of study I was interested in. Having light switch can be in on or off position. Having lateral entry points into the aca-
high-achiever elder siblings also helped These nerve cells perform different demic stream, removing age barriers for
a lot to keep excelling in school and col- computations when they are in each of hiring or awards, making sure that child-
lege. Finally, my PhD mentor, Prof. Eve these states. In another study, we dis- care facilities at academic institutions
Marder, turned a role model for me as a covered how animals control speed of are top notch are some steps that might
great mentor and scientist. locomotion by using certain chemicals bridge the gender gap.
called neuromodulators. I continue to
Prof. Marder played a large part in my explore neural commands for locomo- STEM education for women, and in
professional growth–she identified my tion in multiple ways.
strengths, gave me independence in general, needs to address several
pursuing research goals and offered Keep your passion alive by
positive feedback and critical career engaging with experts in the field, issues. While professional degrees are
advice. I feel the best leaders are those
who lead by example, earn respect reading literature or attending well known, there is little appreciation
through actions and choose what is cor- conferences, apart from doing your
rect and not what is easy. for what STEM research careers mean
own research with gusto.
Presenting my results in international among students in our country. High
conferences and being able to defend My research journey has been stupen-
my ideas in front of the world’s best sci- dous owing to my mentors. I suggest all school and college students, especially
entists bolstered my confidence a lot women researchers to look for appro-
and reinforced my conviction. priate mentors. Keep your passion alive from non-metro areas, must be pro-
by engaging with experts in the field,
After finishing post-doctoral research in reading literature or attending con- vided with opportunities to visit pre-
the United States, I joined NCBS in 2011. ferences apart from doing your own
My research focus is to understand how research with gusto. It is important to mier STEM centres across the country
animals move around and how the neu- place yourself and your work as a part
ral commands for locomotion are gen- of the larger scientific community. so that they get first-hand exposure to
erated. We study the nervous system
To promote women in STEM, the STEM research.
High school and college students scientific leadership must strive to
must be provided with opportuni- remove explicit and implicit bias in hir- Academic Profile
ties to visit premier STEM centres ing, promotion and award decisions.
across the country. Decision-making panels must have BTech Industrial Biotechnology, Anna
some representation of women so that University, Chennai
implicit bias can be addressed.
PhD in Neuroscience, Brandeis
The best leaders are those who It must be acknowledged that the sci- University, US
lead by example and earn respect entific training years coincide with the
through actions. years during which women also make Research Fellow, National Institutes
of Health, US
Post-doctoral fellow, Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratory, US
Awards & Fellowships
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in
Biological Sciences
DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance
Intermediate Fellowship
DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance
Senior Fellowship
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 90
Business Innovation
Strategists
Aditi Kulkarni
Global Solutions Lead, Accenture Technology
Ex-Global Assets Engineering Lead, Accenture
Aditi Kulkarni is an expert in solutioning and delivering end-to-end enterprise
technology programs and driving intelligent-automation transformations.
She is a rope Mallakhamb (traditional sport) champion at the national level.
Iwas born and brought up in Mumbai. Another significant incident that taught your credibility. Be ready to take calcu-
In my entire extended family, I was not me a lot was when I was sent to a client lated risks. It is crucial to take decisions
only the first girl-child pursuing higher location for two days to firefight a chal- at the right time. Course correction
education, but also the first person to lenging situation. It turned out that the after a decision is not a problem; how-
choose engineering. I was fascinated issues were much larger, and the pro- ever, indecisiveness never helps a
by computers and loved coding. Seeing duction systems processing was already leader. In this dynamic world of technol-
my natural inclination to excel in this delayed by a fortnight–a critical and a ogy, nothing stays the same. So we have
field, my banker father wholeheartedly potentially hostile situation. I decided to to be on a continuous learning path.
supported me at every stage. While stay on and find solutions with my team.
there may have been challenges in my Spending over 45 days instead of two Today the IT field is vast, spreading
life, nothing can be attributed to being at the client location, I managed to turn across industries and opening up numer-
a woman. My parents, my in-laws pro- around the situation. It was one of the ous possibilities to make an impact.
vided all help I needed to balance work greatest learning experiences for me. I urge all young, energetic women in
and family. My other big fortune is my technology to find and stick to their
organisation, which has provided me It is crucial to take decisions at passion. It does pay. In the industry,
coaching and mentoring right from the the right time. Course correction we don’t see differentiation in oppor-
beginning with the right people at the after a decision is not a problem; tunities available to men and women
right time to empower me. at the entry level, but we do see a big
however, indecisiveness never challenge in retaining women technolo-
I believe that often opportunities arrive helps a leader. gists. For this, we need to make STEM
in disguise as challenges. Every year, the learning and growth programmes more
IT industry is full of new learning. At a In my current role, I lead a global team accessible to women in the private as
client meeting at the beginning of my of highly qualified professionals who well as government sectors.
career, I introduced myself as a data create market differentiated, innova-
architect. After the meeting was over, tion-led and business value-driven tech- Our education system can do much to
a colleague advised me to speak the nology solutions for CxOs, strategising
client’s language during such conversa- and solutioning their enterprise trans- cultivate and encourage women’s inter-
tions. I realised what was lacking in my formation journey. I led a product devel-
conversation–the business context. This opment team for Accenture’s Intelligent est in technology from a young age.
experience encouraged me to gain mas- Automation Platforms with artificial
tery on techno-functional expertise. intelligence (AI) at the core. I also led STEM as a field is not just technical, but
I became the clients’ preferred person the Automation, Agile and DevOps
to discuss projects. practice for Accenture Technology also highly creative and involves prob-
Centre in India, driving the modern
Often opportunities arrive in dis- engineering industrialisation and adop- lem-solving skills. We must open-up
guise as challenges. tion within the Advanced Technology
Centre. I have led the US Northeast channels for young women to interact
Leadership does not come by banking and insurance account portfo-
authority, but by the respect others lio, managing and delivering large-scale with industry experts, understand the
show you based on your credibility. application outsourcing and system
integration programs with a team of diverse specialisation options and con-
In the dynamic world of technol- more than 3,000 members.
ogy, nothing stays the same. So one nect with their role models.
has to be on a continuous learning My experience taught me that leader-
path. ship does not come by authority, but by Academic Profile
the respect others show you based on
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 BE Computer Science, Bombay
University
Certifications
Accenture Master Data Architect,
Master Automation Architect, Senior
Technology Architect,
Enterprise Solution Architect
Google Cloud Practitioner
92
Adity Ganguly
Head, Process Visualization & Diagnostics Techniques
Tata Steel Limited
Adity Ganguly works on creating process visibility using real time plant
data, data-backed decision support systems and drives artificial intelligence
(AI)- and machine learning (ML)-based analytics for value creation.
Choosing engineering as a pro- process improvement, etc. I was a part pandemic has compelled us to shift to
fession at a time when very of various sustainability initiatives like a non-traditional way of working that
few women used to be in this reduction of specific energy consump- has offered more flexibility in the work-
field happened mainly due to inspi- tion and improvement in wastewater space and a better opportunity to cre-
ration from parents, especially from quality. ate improved work-life balance. This
my father. Growing up in an industrial should enhance greater participation
city like Jamshedpur had a huge influ- Women leaders must have of women workforce in manufacturing
ence on my thought process as a young self-confidence and should not technology domain.
STEM student deciding to choose a
career. During my professional journey fall prey to self-doubt. The government and the private sec-
in Tata Steel, my superiors also played
a vital role to shape my career. My pro- I did not face any tough experiences tor can roll out policies to attract more
fessional growth is mainly attributed to or major barriers women generally
my passion towards my job and lot of face in their professional journey as women into STEM careers by consider-
support and encouragement from per- Tata Steel takes great care of female
sonal and professional ecosystems. employees. I faced a few minor hur- ing avenues for early exposure of young
dles that may be common to many.
At Tata Steel, I work towards facilitat- In the initial phase, when I joined as girls to STEM professionals and con-
ing data-driven decision making for a plant maintenance engineer, male
improved operational efficiency by a colleagues were a bit hesitant to necting them with STEM mentors who
created real-time process visualisation mix up, and I used to feel alienated.
platform. I am involved in creating a There were infrastructure issues like can ease their confusions and doubts.
pool of process model and innovative non-availability of female rest rooms.
visual models for various processes Things started improving with more In parallel, policies must offer incen-
for diagnostics and breakthrough female employee joining the team.
improvements. I oversee developing After a few years, as a young mother, I tives to female students with scholar-
of the knowledge base for benchmark- faced issues like time constraints and
ing in measurement, sensorisation and work-life balance as there was no facil- ship schemes and should be aimed at
process models. In addition, my work ity like work-from-home or child day-
pertains to development of various cares during those days. creating more job opportunities for
systems and processes in the steel
plant value chain like through process Next-gen women leaders must have STEM students. STEM education must
quality assurance systems, total qual- self-confidence and should not fall
ity management (TQM) vehicles for prey to self-doubt, which many women focus on creating more infrastructure
professionals are prone to. Follow your
Creating a support eco-system is passion and give your best. Networking and facilities for experimentation in
is the key in any field and creating a
important for women professionals. supportive eco-system is important for laboratories to facilitate hands-on and
women professionals.
Initially, male colleagues were a project-based learning and improve
Opportunities for women in the tech-
bit hesitant to mix up, and I used nical domain are many as there are var- inquiry in classroom.
ied new areas and fields to explore. The
to feel alienated, but things started Academic Profile
improving with more female BE Electrical & Electronics,
BIT Mesra, Ranchi
employee joining the team.
PG Diploma in Business
Management, XLRI, Jamshedpur
Achievements
Gold assessor of data maturity
assessment
Certified Green Belt in Six Sigma
methodologies
Member of World Steel Association,
Data Excellence Community of
Tata Group
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 93
Anamika Krishanpal, PhD
Principal Domain Expert and Multi-omics Group Leader
Persistent Systems, Pune
Anamika Krishanpal leads life sciences R&D projects on genomics
and multi-omics data analytics and interpretation for application
towards human disease, precision medicine and healthcare.
My progressive and liberal par- data analysis accelerators, pipelines, and facility of a creche nearby helped
ents are the biggest pillars of visualisation tools and database solu- me get over that difficult phase.
my life. They inculcated in me tions. We specialise in handling data
the importance of studies, gave me flex- from multiple omics, including whole My advice would be to build a strong
ibility to choose my career interest and genome/exome sequencing, metag- support system to maintain work-life
encouraged me to push the boundaries. enomics, RNA-sequencing, and their balance so that without much gap in
I studied in Navodaya Vidyalaya, a resi- integration to address its applications career, you can climb up the ladder.
dential school, which profoundly helped in disease subtyping, biomarker predic- Usually, there are only a handful of
me in expanding my outlook towards tion and deriving insights from the data. women in leadership positions com-
life, developing social communication In another project, we have developed pared to dozens of men. Women should
skills and imparted the wisdom to take enterprise-level software solution on not hold back on taking challenging
charge of life-decisions. My teachers’ biological data annotation to build a roles. Organisations and senior leaders
teaching style made students develop knowledge graph for healthcare and life should encourage women to take up
interest and curiosity in science. sciences research. assignments that excite them and ask
them what drives their ambition.
I was always inclined to learn more in R&D requires efforts and extra
biology. After Std XII, I was looking for attention in terms of getting To promote and retain women in
courses in applied science. Just a year STEM, we must find ways of engaging
before, UGC had introduced a biotech- meaningful output that may or and motivating girls at the grassroots
nology course in Ranchi University, and may not be directly applicable, and level through different outreach plat-
I applied for the course. The library at hence, it requires time and patience. forms. Providing them job-relevant
Women’s College, Ranchi, had some skills and childcare facilities in or near
excellent books on biotechnology, R&D requires effort and extra atten- work centre will be a great enabler.
biochemistry and immunology that tion in terms of getting meaningful Incentive to employers while women go
attracted me towards this field. My PhD output that may or may not be directly on a maternity break will help support
supervisor, Prof. Srinivasan at IISc, pro- applicable, and hence, it requires time women through career breaks. Creating
vided valuable guidance and helped and patience. Listen to your heart and opportunities for women in the area of
me shape my career. He taught me the do things that excite you. Think about non-traditional fields where women are
importance of maintaining work-life bal- what you strive for before taking the underrepresented is needed.
ance. I learnt both various technical and plunge. Develop a habit of researching
soft skills from him. and reading new trends and technolo- I think exposure to different aspects
gies in the biotech, biopharma and alike
My team is now working on advancing sectors. Keep yourself abreast of key of STEM to students is importantas it
precision medicine through genom- business trends, including regulatory,
ics and multi-omics data integration financial and operational changes influ- will expose them to aspects of STEM
and interpretation. Our aim is to offer encing industry sectors and be aware of
informatics solutions that comprise commercial implications of your proj- career other than coding or running
development of standard customisable ect, as well as how your project fits into
the bigger goals of your organisation. experiments.
Women should not hold back on Soft skills like teamwork, creative think-
taking challenging roles. ing, time management, networking, etc. Academic Profile
are also important.
Listen to your heart and do things BSc Biotechnology, Ranchi Women’s
that excite you. Though my journey has been profes- College
sionally rewarding, it was not devoid
Soft skills like teamwork, creative of challenges. Going back to work MSc Life Sciences, School of Life
thinking, time management, net- after maternity break was a challenge. Sciences, Devi Ahilya University, Indore
working are important. Getting support from my better half
PhD in Genomics & Bioinformatics,
IISc, Bengaluru
Post-doctoral Fellow at IGBMC,
Strasbourg, France
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 94
Anuradda Ganesh, PhD
Director & Chief Technical Advisor
Cummins Technologies India Pvt Ltd. (CTIPL), Satara
Adjunct Professor at the Centre of Policy Studies, IIT Bombay
Ex-HoD, Department of Energy Science & Engineering, IIT Bombay
Anuradda Ganesh has 25 years of teaching and research experience
and is a global expert on alternate fuels and renewable energy.
She advises on innovative technology, regulatory trends and policy.
My engineer father was a pro- After my PhD, I joined IIT Bombay as can be done if you enable calculated
fessor at the Indian Institute a faculty to teach energy systems engi- risk-taking and carefully push the lim-
of Technology, Delhi. That he neering. There was a lot that I hadn’t its, enable independent thinking and
influenced me to choose STEM is true, been exposed to, and I had to learn on allow mistakes within limits. A leader
but the realisation came quite late in my own. I attended the undergraduate must appreciate efforts as much as
life. In fact, when I think back, I realise classes on IC engines and combustion, results.
that it was my mother who was instru- even did all assignments, teared down
mental in translating my father’s teach- engines and put it back many a times. If you have passion and intention, you
ings into influencing the choices I made. I was very fortunate to have a very can make a mark. Nothing can deter
strong woman engineer and mentor in you. There may be other women who
At school too, the teaching style of two Prof. PP Parikh. need your support; step forward and
of my chemistry teachers was magical; motivate them. Only when women sup-
they made chemistry feel like a game. Only when women support port each other can we achieve suc-
I knew I wanted to do something with each other, can we achieve success cess together as a universal team and
chemistry. I took up chemical engineer- sky is then the limit.
ing. My professor at Panjab University together as a universal team,
always said: “Accidents occur just once; and sky is then the limit! While policies are important and
you can’t afford to make a mistake even
once.” So ingrained in me is the con- My team and I developed a technol- many are in place, a mindset change is
cept of trying to get it ‘first time right’. ogy to run an existing diesel engine on
Prof. PD Grover was my inspiration to straight vegetable oil. This was done required to promote women in STEM.
pursue my PhD in the area of bioen- with minimum modifications and the
ergy, and his passion for developing engine performance was conforming It is time that ‘inclusion’ as an emotion
technologies for rural applications was to the then emission regulations. This
so magnetic that I imbibed the same was developed at the Cummins Engine is ingrained right from school and at
passion. Later, John Wall, PhD, ex-CTO Research Facility, a lab sponsored by
of Cummins Inc., inspired me to move Cummins at IIT Bombay. home while parenting and role model-
out of my comfort zone, i.e., academ-
ics, and enter the corporate sector as a The challenge was to actually take it to ling. Attractive policies for a ‘second
technical advisor. My journey in STEM the next step of field testing wherein
has been very eventful, satisfying and the reliability, durability, ease and career’ and part-time jobs are required.
exciting. application of the technology would be
established. This was mainly targeted What is lacking in STEM education is
If you have passion and intention, to electrify remote villages where con-
you can make a mark. Nothing can ventional electrification was not pos- the communication on importance of
deter you. sible. While visiting remote villages,
villagers were initially reluctant to take STEM in day to day life. More in-class
Attractive policies for a ‘second a woman’s advice seriously. However,
career’ and part-time jobs are things fell in place shortly and gender experiments, application of STEM in
required. did not matter anymore.
simple things around can be helpful.
Education can be given, but obser- For me, a leader is one who connects
vation comes from training. with people, takes them along and Education can be given, but observa-
keeps them motivated; one who is
A leader must appreciate efforts as able to bring out the highest potential tion comes from training.
much as results. in her employees, and that I believe
Academic Profile
BE Chemical Engineering,
Panjab University, Chandigarh
PhD in Chemical Engineering,
IIT Delhi
Awards & Fellowships
Fellow of the Indian National
Academy of Engineering, 2020
SWE Prism Award, 2021, for
impact on society and engineering
community
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 95
Arpita Ghosh
Assistant Director Bioinformatics
Eurofins Genomics India Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru
Arpita Ghosh is a genomics scientist who has worked in the diverse areas of
genomics, agri-genomics, microbiome, clinical genetics and cutting-edge
genomics techniques like single cell genomics.
Iwas born in Howrah, West Bengal. literature to upgrade and keep pace the challenge is how to overcome and
My father held a high post in the with the research and new methodol- deliver your best at work. I have been
government and had a transfer- ogies that may emerge in this area. consistently working hard and in fact
able job; thus my schooling has been worked harder to overcome all the
in different cities across the country. For women who wish to be barriers. In my experience, all these
My father inspired me in every pos- leaders, it is important to choose barriers make you a strong and confi-
sible manner for every little interest the field of your interest, work dent person.
that I had. He always believed in my
potential. hard and be honest. For women who wish to be leaders,
it is important to choose the field of
When I decided to opt for bioinfor- I have taken up all the opportunities your interest, work hard and be hon-
matics field, the area was emerging that came my way to learn and excel. est. Learn as much as possible in the
then in the Western world and India This built up my confidence that initial stages of career; that will help
was having very limited scope and I can deliver whatever comes my way. you to get to the leadership position.
knowledge about this. I shared with I kept on learning and developing new
my father that this was a new disci- skills, which in turn, helped me grow The specialisation of bioinformatics
pline to experiment, but is interesting as a person and in the profession. is the mainstream in which biology
as it provided a scope of interpreting I like to experiment with new things and information technology is tied
biology using computer applications. that enable upskilling myself. I am a together. The courses should be more
My father supported me and told self-motivated person. practical-oriented. There are funda-
me to take up this as a challenge and mental knowledge gaps in students’
craft a career out of the same. He I have rich research experience in the understanding. Necessary skills need
knew well that I liked to take up new field of genomics, agri-genomics and to be developed in students keeping
challenges. clinical genetics data analysis. I have in mind the current trends and indus-
worked on big complex genomes, trial requirements.
If you have the passion, an analytic agri-genomics panel development,
mindset and the zeal to explore and clinical exome and cutting-edge The government is now funding
learn new things, the field of bioin- applications.
formatics is for you. Here you can only government institutes; rather it
have interesting findings that you I have more than 35 publications and
need to prove using analytical skills. three book chapters (including a chap- should have some schemes to fund
You should be ready to read a lot of ter in Encyclopedia of Bioinformatics)
in different areas of genomics and clin- multinational corporations and pri-
Learn as much as possible in the ical genetics in international journals. I
initial stages of career. have also been involved in developing vate organisations for genomics and
machine learning approaches for pre-
Overcome all biases and deliver dicting the SARS-CoV-2 genome. clinical genetics research in India.
your best at work.
In professional career, every woman Policies should be strong for research
Necessary skills need to be devel- encounters several barriers, gender
oped in students keeping in mind inequality, workplace politics dom- funding.
the current trends and industrial inated by men. My case has been no
requirements. different. I too have faced all this, but Academic Profile
BSc Zoology & MSc Bioinformatics,
MS University, Vadodara
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 96
Aruna Achanna
Deputy Director, Applied Materials India
Aruna Achanna has over 18 years of experience in the field of software delivery
and development, implementation and operations and has worked in service
and product industries spanning diverse domains, handling both onshore and
offshore assignments.
Born and brought up in Bengaluru, onshore and offshore assignments. I management skills, a stronger mind
I was naturally driven into STEM started my career in Tata Consultancy and are known to multitask. STEM is
subjects like most of my genera- Services as a .NET Developer, moved naturally hidden in women, choosing
tion, so-called millennials. It all started onto different service and product this field will bring out their potential
with my mother who had to overcome MNCs, held several positions as a and yield success.
several hurdles to become a science senior developer, onshore technical
graduate in the early 70s, and then coordinator, senior technical leader, A lot is already being done to pro-
my elder brother, who is a senior sci- technical project manager and senior mote women participation in STEM.
entist and who always motivated me manager prior to my current role with Maybe, conducting surveys in remote
to pursue science. I received constant Applied Materials. areas with women on their under-
encouragement from family and other standing of STEM careers, and aware-
inspirational senior women leaders in Technology evolution is ness of the available opportunities
the organisation. fast-paced and there needs would help further. More internships
to be a constant self-learning plan could be offered for lower-income
It is the success that is seen after to come back on track after groups in both government and pri-
achieving something outside of the vate sectors, after the 12th stan-
comfort zone that has truly inspired maternity break. dard, along with distance learning
me. During my early career days, I had and parallel learning sponsorships.
to work with a very challenging and Though I wouldn’t like to call it a ‘tough Awareness programmes for high
demanding stakeholder, only to realise experience’ or a ‘barrier’, one of the school students on what STEM can
later that these challenges paved the difficulties that I faced was coping with offer for their future are the need of
way for a faster knowledge gain and rapidly evolving technology after tak- hour .This awareness at an early age
career growth. ing two maternity breaks. Technology can help both students and parents
evolution is fast-paced and there make better choices. And this aware-
Now I am an experienced profes- needs to be a constant self-learning ness must reach all schools in India.
sional in the field of software delivery, plan to come back on track. However, The motto should be ‘awareness and
and have worked in the service and this evolution in technology has also opportunity’ to reach all girls.
product industries spanning banking, enabled several learning platforms
government, life sciences and semi- reachable at the tip of our fingers, that Academic Profile
conductor domains, handling both taking up a distant or a remote course/
remote working is no more a challenge. BE Instrumentation Technology,
Confidence and patience are key BMS College of Engineering, VTU,
in a career journey. From my experience, I would say Vellore
confidence and patience are key in a
Hurdles are common, not only career journey. Hurdles are common, MS Software Design & Engineering,
to women but to everyone. One not only to women, but to everyone. Manipal University
should always strive to overcome One should always strive to overcome
those. those. I always keep reminding myself Certifications
of what Sudha Murthy said in a confer-
STEM is naturally hidden in ence in the context of women choos- Prosci Change Practitioner
women; choosing this field will ing corporate or STEM careers: “We
bring out their potential and yield chose this career, let’s stand by it and MuleSoft Certified Developer –
success. let’s prove to ourselves we were right.” Integration & API Associate
The motto should be ‘awareness In general, women are always curious Salesforce Platform Certified
and opportunity’ to reach all girls. to know about things, they have great developer, ITIL Foundation
ASP.NET & SQL Server Microsoft
Certifications
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 97
Ashavaree Sahoo
Senior Technical Manager, Industrial Adhesives & Tapes Division
3M India
Ashavaree Sahoo has 14 years of experience in the construction industry.
She engages with regulatory and statutory bodies to drive the building codes
in India and is well versed with Indian, British, American (ASTM), Australian,
European and US National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards.
Iwas born and raised in Bhubaneswar, consultants, direct engagement with conscientiously dismantle gender bias.
Odisha. My parents inspired me to clients across the value chain, proj- Parents can also work to counteract
take up science as a career option ect site survey with proper audit and gender stereotypes by providing girls
and build my core expertise to serve detailed reports. with high-quality STEM toys and games
the industry. I have been interested from a young age and offer opportu-
in science since childhood as I saw A more equal playing field could nities to participate in STEM-based
inventions and science being used for help narrow the male-female skills enrichment. Supportive teachers and
the betterment of mankind. Infosys science learning culture in schools can
co-founder Sudha Murthy the first gap, increase employment and play essential roles.
female engineer hired at TELCO,has productivity of women.
been my inspiration. Women should have the skills and con-
I have demonstrated my leadership fidence to succeed in mathematics and
In my area of work, I have worked in external fora like Fire & Safety at science. They should be given equal
towards leveraging technologies and Secutech and iDAC, both international encouragement, learning opportunities
develop new applications,such as fire conference events in India, and was the and have positive messages spread
stop tape and endothermic technol- keynote speaker at these conferences about their abilities in science and math.
ogy. I worked with several laboratories creating awareness on fire safety sci-
to get these products custom tested ence, codes and guidelines. In addition, Gender equity in STEM is important
for the country’s requirements as per I have published papers in leading pub- for many reasons. A more equal play-
Indian regulatory standards. I initiated lications like A&S, Fire and Safety India ing field could help narrow the male-fe-
collaborations with regulatory bodies and FSAI, highlighting the importance male skills gap, increase employment
like the Bureau of Indian Standards, the of technologies, key challenges and and productivity of women, and reduce
Glazing Society of India and the Indian how technology can help solve these. occupational segregation. It ensures
Road Congress to work on developing a diverse and talented STEM work-
standards for new technologies and Women who wish to join industry must force and prevents biases in these
applications understand that companies value skills fields and the products and services
differently, so it’s best to learn from they produce. Gender equality needs
In parallel, I grew my expertise working someone who has the role you want to be considered as part of the analy-
on multiple activities to contribute to and works at the company you admire. sis of the problem, the formulation of
organisational growth, such as spec- That’s the best way to figure out where research questions, the piloting of solu-
ification development with industry you might need additional training or tions and community engagement.
education. Then when you apply, make
Women should have the skills sure to highlight the skills and experi- Academic Profile
and confidence to succeed in ence you have that are most relevant to
mathematics and science. the role. BTech, Biju Patnaik University of
Technology, Rourkela
The academia and the industry Women now make up 56 per cent
must work to conscientiously dis- of undergraduate students, and are Masters in Strategic Management,
mantle gender bias. making strides in STEM fields rang- IIM Calcutta
ing from genetics to gaming. Despite
Parents can also work to coun- this remarkable progress, gender Awards
teract gender stereotypes by pro- stereotyping remains one of the big-
viding girls with high-quality gest obstacles. STEM programmes Best Technical Support Award,
STEM toys. should be fully inclusive and the aca- Godrej E&E Utkarsh
demia and the industry must work to
Corporate Individual Award, CTEI,
2019
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 98
Bhawna Prabhakar
General Manager Marketing
Thermo Fisher Scientific, India & South Asia
Bhawna Prabhakar has over 21 years of experience spanning
various roles and responsibilities, ranging from marketing
and product management to strategy designing.
Iam a self-made professional. I hail get ignored under any such biases or out to be gold for you. Having worked
from a family of bankers, and did not pressures at my workplace. I have been as the marketing head in my organi-
have any personal guide at home to lucky to have worked with Thermo sation, my biggest contribution is to
help me choose my career in science, Fisher that espouses inclusiveness and support customers by providing them
and later industry. In fact, I broke the diversity as an organisational culture. with the right solutions and services
family tradition by being the first full- But having said so, living in a male-dom- and giving them a great experience in
time working woman. Many small inated world, it can get challenging for associating with us for their scientific
achievements, accolades won during women to make a mark and receive a endeavours. To see customers suc-
my academic years acted as a catalyst worthy acceptance. ceed by leveraging our solutions and
for me to advance my professional services has been my most satisfying
aspirations. I have always looked up to Women are born with a lot of accomplishment.
successful women leaders who proved inherent traits that they must
their mettle in the industry by their leverage to lead them along the Though recent years have seen a lot
competence. Such inspirational women progressive path of leadership.
leaders have instilled the confidence in of gender inclusiveness and diver-
me to move forward in my professional I fully endorse and practice gender
journey. neutrality. Women are born with a lot sity in many sectors, data suggests
of inherent traits that they must lever-
I have been a relatively bold and strong age to lead them along the progressive much work needs to be done to uplift
woman since my student life. Opting path of leadership. Women need to
for a full-time career in marketing identify their own purpose and then women, especially those who come
after completing my MSc and e MBA chase the same irrespective of chal-
itself was a testimony of my clarity, will lenges and difficulties. Situations and from rural areas and small towns.
and grit to follow my dreams. My par- circumstances will not always be con-
ents supported and encouraged me ducive, but if the purpose, persever- Women need to feel secure to come
towards pursuing my choices. Women ance and integrity are stronger than
certainly come across stereotypic chal- trepidation, nothing can stop a deserv- out of their homes, make their own
lenges, especially during initial years of ing woman to reach top positions.
their career. But I never let my voice With growing inclusivity and breaking identity, live their dreams and stand
stereotypic working cultures, it is time
I broke the family tradition by for women to break their self-limiting on their own two feet. Inclusion
being the first full-time working barriers to fully unleash their potential.
woman. I take this as my responsibility to nur- does not have to be limited to work
ture this culture in my team and imme-
Living in a male-dominated world, diately influence people in my work places, but rather need to be seeded
it can get challenging for women circle.
to make a mark and receive a wor- at the family level, where womens’
thy acceptance. Marketing is a field that requires a lot
of creativity, collaborations and com- involvement and choices need to be
Women need to identify their own munication skills. If these elements
purpose and then chase the same excite you and you have the aspira- respected right from asking for their
irrespective of challenges and tion and willingness to perform, then
difficulties. any career of your choice will turn inputs and consent for family matters
as well. The transformation is needed
at the grassroots level for which pol-
icymakers need to bring a paradigm
shift in a way that it is not limited to
just bringing changes in the profes-
sional landscape.
Academic Profile
MSc, Mithibai College,
Mumbai University
e-MBA from Manipal Academy
of Higher Education
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 99
Binuja Varma, PhD
Principal Scientist (Genomics), Life Science Group
Tata Consultancy Services
Binuja Varma is a population and disease genomics researcher,
involved in developing genomics methods for clinical research
and applications and establishing clinical research infrastructure.
Iwas born in Thiruvanathapuram, experience to see children, some tod- Besides, it is of immense value to have
Kerala, and completed my schooling dlers, with various neurological and the right mentorship. One should pur-
and college education from there. neuromuscular abnormalities and their sue a multidisciplinary education that
I was good at science subjects and was debilitating life in front of me. The would instill the ability to work with
curious about technology. I took a spe- trauma of families in a perpetual odys- multi-faceted teams, which is import-
cial liking to bio-organic chemistry during sey of finding the right diagnosis and ant in modern biology. We should work
graduation. My teacher Indira Ma’am treatment for their children was appall- together to create safe identity work-
encouraged me to explore beyond text- ing. I decided, then, to pursue a career spaces, a safe space for learning and
book learning and I would browse the in clinical research. experimentation, and a community so
library shelves looking for good reads. that our collective experience can nur-
One should pursue ture more women in this field.
Working with India’s first public-pri- a multidisciplinary education that
vate partnership model, the Centre for The government and private sector
Genomic Applications (TCGA) in Delhi, would instill the ability to work must roll out policies that promote
I was fortunate to be part of several proj- with multi-faceted teams, which flexibility in working environment and
ects and had the opportunity to take a is important in modern biology. equal opportunities with pay parity.
leadership role from the very begin- There are no half-baked solutions, and
ning. My supervisor, Narayanaswamy, There are several instances where I felt these policies should be enforced for
PhD, and Mitali Mukerji, PhD, deserve a it was tough to decide between career women in science to enable them to
special mention in this regard. I learned and family and I believe some institu- reach higher echelons.
genomics technologies as part of the tional support could have brought sig-
population genomics programmes of nificant benefits. A medically difficult STEM education now is not ingrained
India, and they supported me in every pregnancy was a critical moment when
manner. TCGA gave me sound expo- I realised that I had to leave everything with any foundational understanding
sure to learn new techniques and skills, that I had built up over the years. As
and the experience is still relevant to I was a fully hands-on experimental of social science, culture and other
my current projects. person, my project work stopped and
reconstructing after a year and a half humanities subjects. Besides, the
While I was doing my PhD, our lab was inconceivable. To start afresh and
collaborated with the pediatric neu- to get a position where time for child- STEM curriculum is focused on a large
rology department of AIIMS, and I care needed to be factored in was a
would spend time in the clinic collect- daunting task, and I felt that I had fum- amount of information processing,
ing muscle biopsy samples and analys- bled and failed at several steps.
ing clinical data. It was a life-changing but stops short of equipping students
It took several years for me to stabilise
There is always a learning phase, the loss of two years that I had taken from pursuing non-research/technolo-
and one needs to complete that time off for motherhood. Besides, the
with patience and earnestness. lack of childcare facilities like creches gy-based career opportunities. There
at the workplace has always put pres-
It is of immense value to have the sure on the family. Once you lose the are endless opportunities for putting
right mentorship. crucial few years, competing with men
with similar experiences has been futile knowledge of science together with
Policies to promote flexibility in and brought in more setbacks.
working environment are needed. other kinds of careers, and examples
However, there is always a learning
Women to get equal opportunities phase, and one needs to complete include public policy, patent law, pub-
with pay parity. that with patience and earnestness.
lishing, education and teaching, medi-
cal writing, journalism, venture capital,
and science museum work.
Academic Profile
BSc Chemistry, Govt. College for
Women, Thiruvananthapuram
MSc Biochemistry, University
of Kerala
PhD in Molecular Biology and Human
Genetics, JNU, Delhi
Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 100
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Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Vivify Media jointly developed this special publication, Women in STEM: Vanguards of India@75 to showcase the success stories and achievements of 125 women luminaries including academicians, researchers, policymakers, business strategists, tech leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and pioneers with technology and skills necessary for a better future and who have made a significant mark in the arena of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
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