Women in Science

ANANDIBAI GOPALRAO JOSHI

An inspiration to women all around the globe, Anandibai Joshi was the first Indian woman physician. She was also the first woman graduate from India to have a degree in Western Medicine in the US. She had a child marriage at 9 years old and turned widower at 20. Out of this marriage she lost a child who died soon after his birth because of a lack of medical facilities. Channeling her loss to relieve others from the pain she face, Joshi embarked on her journey of medicine.

ANNA MANI

Anna Mani was an Indian physicist and meteorologist who studied solar radiation, ozone, and wind energy instrumentation. She was awarded a scholarship to the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1940, where she studied the optical properties of ruby and diamond under the great professor C V Raman. She wrote five research papers before retiring as the Indian Meteorological Department's deputy director general in 1976.

ARCHANA SHARMA

Archana Sharma was a botanist, cytogeneticist, cell biologist, and cytotoxicologist who lived in India. She was the first editor of The Nucleus, a cytology journal published internationally. She studied reproductive plant chromosomes, pesticides, and other environmental agents. She also worked for the Indian government in various agencies, including the Department of Science and Technology's Science and Engineering Research Council, the Ministry of Environment and Forests' Environmental Research Council, and the Ministry of Human Resource Development's Ministry of Human Resource Development.

ASIMA CHATTERJEE

She was an Indian chemist who is well-known for her contributions to organic chemistry and phytochemistry. She pursued research after earning a chemistry degree from the University of Calcutta's Scottish Church College in 1936. Her most well-known study focuses on vinca alkaloids (anti-cancer compounds extracted from the periwinkle plant). She is also known for her work in the development of anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs.

BIBHA CHOWDHURI

Physicist Bibha Chowdhuri is one of science's pioneers, and she has a star named after her. The star, which is approximately 340 light years away from us, was dubbed ‘Bibha' in December 2019 to honour Indian women's contributions to science. Chowdhuri, a physicist who specialised in elementary particle physics and cosmic rays, was also the only female student in her master's programme in physics. in the year 1934 She received her postgraduate degree from Calcutta University and went on to work on physics research projects. She has also collaborated with Vikram Sarabhai, known as the "Father of India's Space Program."

DARSHAN RANGANATHAN

Darshan Ranganathan was a pioneer of organic chemistry and one of the University of Delhi's first female students. She has held several research fellowships and has published several articles and books in the field of organic chemistry. In 1991, she was also awarded a fellowship by the Indian Academy of Sciences. Her achievements in bio-organic chemistry, especially supramolecular assemblies, molecular design, and chemical simulations, earned her the Third World Academy of Sciences Award (TWAS) in Chemistry in 2000.

DR. ADITI PANT

Dr. Aditi Pant, a prolific oceanographer, was the first Indian woman to visit Antarctica in 1983 as part of an Indian geology and oceanography expedition. When she was a BSc student at the University of Pune, Pant was inspired to pursue Oceanography after reading Alister Hardy's book The Open Sea. She was awarded a US government scholarship to attend the University of Hawaii to pursue a master's degree in marine sciences. She earned her PhD from London University's Westfield College. Her doctoral dissertation focused on the physiology of marine algae. She's worked for the National Institute of Oceanography and the National Chemical Laboratory, among other places.

DR. INDIRA HINDUJA

Dr. Indira Hinduja is an Indian gynecologist obstetrician, and infertility specialist who pioneered the Gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) procedure, culminating in the birth of India's first GIFT baby on January 4, 1988. She holds a doctorate degree in "Human In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer" from Bombay University. On August 6, 1986, she gave birth to India's first test-tube baby at KEM Hospital. She is also credited with creating an oocyte donation procedure for menopausal and premature ovarian failure patients, resulting in the birth of the country's first baby on January 24, 1991.

IRAWATI KARVE

Irawati Karne is the first female Indian anthropologist to break into a male-dominated field of Indian culture. Her work spans many disciplines, including storytelling and philosophy. In 1968, she received the Sahitya Akademi Award for Marathi for her popular book Yuganta, making her the first female author in the state to do so. She studied anthropology at a time when it was still uncommon for women to do so because it needed cross-cultural study. She later became a founding member and director of anthropology programmes at several universities. She was the Vice-Chancellor of SNDT University and the founder of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Pune in 1963. Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPUDepartment )'s of Anthropology, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhavan, has a museum called the "Irawati Karve Museum of Anthropology," which preserves Indian cultural values.

JANAKI AMMAL

In 1977, Ammal became the first Indian scientist to receive the Padma Shri Award, and he later became the director-general of the Botanical Survey of India. Ammal studied botany in the early 1900s, which was an uncommon choice for a woman at the time. In 1921, she graduated with honours from Presidency College with a bachelor's degree in botany. She worked in the field of cytogenetics, which is a branch of genetics. She has done noteworthy work on sugarcane and brinjal.

KAMALA SOHONIE

Sohonie was the first Indian woman to earn a doctorate in the field of science. She applied for a research fellowship at the IISc and was turned down solely because she was a woman. She was Prof. CV Raman's first female student when he was the director of the IISc at the time. Raman granted her permission to continue her research because of her outstanding results. She discovered the enzyme cytochrome C in plant tissue, which assists in cell oxidation.

KAMAL RANADIVE

Kamal Ranadive, an early cancer researcher in India, was one of the first few scientists to say that breast cancer has a connection to heredity. She studied Botany and Zoology at Fergusson College and went on to become one of the country's top female scientists, publishing over 200 research papers. In 1973, she founded the Indian Women Scientists' Association (IWSA). The Association now offers hostel and daycare services to its female researchers.

KADAMBINI GANGULY

Kadambini Ganguly is one of the earliest women physicians from South Asia. She was the first female speaker at the Indian National Congress. She was also one first Indian women to earn a college degree and practice western medicine. With a specialty in gynaecology she practiced medicine till the age of 61. Ganguly was an active campaigner for social change in India. She was one of six female delegates to the fifth session of the Indian National Congress in 1889, and organised the 1906 Women's Conference in Calcutta after the Partition of Bengal. Ganguly was also successful in pressuring Calcutta Medical College to allow women as students.

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