Meet The Indian Women In Science Making Waves Globally

India boasts a rich history of scientific achievements, with visionary minds who have made profound contributions to the nation's development. From unravelling the mysteries of space to developing life-saving medical treatments, India has done it all. However, the talents of women scientists have often been pushed to the sidelines or outright ignored. Despite this, they continue to defy stereotypes and weave the fabric of innovation and groundbreaking studies across diverse fields. 

February 11 is celebrated as the International  Day of Women and Girls in Science to celebrate the prowess of women in various fields of discovery and research. Here is an ode to all the women who are making global history on behalf of India.

Nandini Harinath

Nandini Harinath is a rocket scientist working at the Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre. She has played a pivotal role in several projects that earned India laurels on the space front. Her contributions include the Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter) Mission and Chandrayaan (Lunar Mission) among several other satellite projects.

In conversation with Shaili Chopra, founder of SheThePeople & Gytree, Harinath explored her experiences of balancing professional careers with family responsibilities, "Way back when I joined ISRO, there were very few women in the division that I worked on because these missions call for, especially during the launch times, for long hours of work. Not many women wanted to volunteer or come to this division itself. Today we see that there are so many women who are mission directors, and it’s ironical that what was once considered a domain not suitable for women, today women have earned the tag of being reliable and very very dependable in it!"

Nigar Shaji

Nigar Shaji is an aerospace engineer and the project director of Mission Aditya L1-- India's Solar Mission. She joined ISRO in 1987 as part of the coveted U R Rao Satellite Centre and has been credited for several satellite projects. She is also serving as the study director for India's proposed mission to Venus, which she spoke about in 2012. 

Geetha Manjunath

Geetha Manjunath is a computer scientist who is leading India's healthcare sector to an AI-forward future. She is the founder of NIRAMAI Health Analytix, an organisation which changing the game of oncology with non-invasive, radiation-free breast cancer screening through artificial intelligence.

Soumya Swaminathan

Clinical scientist Soumya Swaminathan has made big waves in research on epidemics like HIV and Tuberculosis. From 2019 to 2022, she served as the chief scientist of the World Health Organisation, where she played a big role in disseminating news about the COVID-19 pandemic with her discoveries.

Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay

Sanghamitra Bandopadhyay is a computer scientist professor and Director at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. She is the prestigious institute's first women Director. She is a member of the Prime Minister's Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council.

Bandopahyay has led groundbreaking research projects in the areas of evolutionary computation, pattern recognition, machine learning and bioinformatics. She has been honoured with the Padma Shri award for Science and Engineering by the Government of India in 2022.