Rukhmabai initiatives Stories of women
in stem

Inclusive storytelling about accomplished Indian women in STEM, written by women journalists from India

Rukhmabai grants 2024 We're thrilled to
announce the new Grantees!

Our newest cohort has been carefully selected from the dozens of submissions we received from incredible science writers and journalists eager to contribute towards building inclusive spaces in Indian STEM.

Angana Chakrabarti

Angana is an independent journalist covering health, politics, policy, and the environment. She has been reporting on the Northeast for the last three years, tracking the Manipur conflict, the lack of representation of women in politics in Nagaland, and even Assam’s infamous ‘pig-heart’ doctor. She received the RedInk Award 2022 for her story on mosque vandalisms in Tripura. She has a Master’s in Migration Studies from the Universitat de Pompeu Fabra and a Bachelor’s in English and Media Studies from Ashoka University.

Safeena Wani and Sumayyah Qureshi

Safeena and Sumayyah are independent journalists based in Jammu and Kashmir with several years of experience reporting on development, gender, health, climate change, and more. Safeena has a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication and Journalism and has written for various publications including SCMP, The New Humanitarian, India Spend, Waging Non-Violence, 101 Reporters, and The Federal. Meanwhile, Summayyah, a Mass Communication and Media Studies graduate, had spent time at the desk before turning to reporting.

Bharti Dharapuram

Bharti is an ecologist with a PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore where she studied how ocean currents and environment shape coastal biodiversity. Following this, she studied arthropod diversity in the forests of the Western Ghats for her postdoctoral research at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad. She has been drawn to language and writing since childhood, which led her to the annual Science Journalism course offered by the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore. During the challenging phases of her PhD research, she found solace and fulfilment in writing about scientific discoveries and the people behind them.

Rukhmabai grants 2024 Special Contributors

(Supported by the Australian High Commission)

Yams Srikanth

Yams is an ecologist whose other interests include science communication, writing and trying to build a better world. When not languishing in front of their laptop, they can be found outside poking at any insect, bird or plant. Their undergraduate degree in Biology and Education, along with a Master’s in Wildlife Biology has given them skills and perspective to help readers appreciate and handle the environmental issues of the Anthropocene. They also write about queer and trans rights and their intersections with STEM and education.

Ipsita R Herlekar

Ipsita writes popular articles on all things science, from ecology to astrophysics and everything in between. She has a Master’s in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru and another in Science Communication from Imperial College London, UK. She switched to a career in science writing, trading being chased by elephants in the jungles to hopping labs in search of interesting science stories. The opportunity to interact with new people and learn new things is what she likes best about being a science writer.

Stories From Rukhmabai Edition 4

Catch ‘em young: why early impressions of science matter

By Yams Srikanth

There is a gender gap in choosing science, with girls more likely to opt for non-STEM streams after class 10 — an idea shaped partly by wrong perception of one’s ability, lack of women role models and biased classroom interactions of teachers

A pioneer in cost-effective, eco-friendly solutions for water purification

By Angana Chakrabarti

The first woman from Arunachal Pradesh to receive a PhD in physics, Yana developed biocompatible nanoparticles for lead remediation and characterised low-cost bamboo-activated carbon nanoparticles to remove fluoride ions from water

The one who believes in mentorship beyond research

By Disha Tandon

Dr Nita Parekh juggles physics and computational biology with ease, and has been instrumental in building the MTech course in bioinformatics at the International Institute of Information Technology-Hyderabad

The woman scientist behind India’s first geothermal pilot

By Safeena Wani

Kunzes Dolma’s relentless efforts to better the lives of people of Ladakh by improving energy accessibility have led to ONGC’s Puga Valley Geothermal Project, a one-of-its-kind initiative in India

Chasing the dream of growing best quality saffron

By Sumayyah Qureshi

Ensuring quality plant material, establishing proper irrigation methods and developing a rot-resistant saffron corm are the top priorities of Dr Nasheeman Ashraf, a principal scientist at the Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Laboratory at IIIM Srinagar

STEM education: Think of disability as diversity, not deficit

By Shikha Sharma

Very few differently-abled students opt for higher education in STEM due to the visual approach of teaching, practicals, lack of scientific terms and vocabulary in the Indian Sign Language, and physical barriers linked to accessibility and transportation, among others

Meet the turtle woman on the banks of Chandragiri

By Kanishka Puri

Ayushi Jain has developed a network of local conservationists of critically endangered Cantor’s giant softshell turtle in Kerala’s Kasaragod district

Ensuring genetic well-being of all is the core of Prof Thelma's research

By Nishtha Bhargava

The overarching vision that drives the work of renowned geneticist and genomics expert Professor BK Thelma is the paradigm of predictive, preventive, personalised and participatory medicine

STEM Collectives: Sisters are doin’ it for themselves

By Anagha Pavithran

In the uneven playing field of academia and research, women are now empowering women through mentoring collectives that connect experienced people with those seeking guidance and support in education, entrepreneurship and personal growth

From urban slums to rural schools, this geneticist and teacher got kids curious about science

By Aditi Subramaniam

Sparking scientific temper using affordable tools and helping students learn by observing their surroundings make Sonali Kadam’s teaching style interesting and unique