Bridging the gender gap

“My introduction to science happened very organically. When I was growing up, science classes at our school were held outside the classroom and we used to wander around the Visva Bharati campus trying to learn about trees and birds. That inculcated my love for the subject.

Chemistry had a special place in my heart because my father, who was the headmaster of a school in Santiniketan, had a chemistry background and although he could not continue his PhD due to family obligations, he encouraged me to pursue one.

Pursuing an integrated MSc-PhD degree at JNCASR helped shape my critical mind. I attended a couple of international conferences during my Master’s itself which boosted my confidence and made my transition to a PhD life smoother. I initially rotated in a couple of organic chemistry laboratories. However, due to certain health conditions, continuing there became an ordeal for me and forced me to consider alternatives. I had never been a part of a theoretical chemistry laboratory during my post-graduation but as I loved studying the subject, I decided to pursue a summer project in computational chemistry. Later, during my MSc thesis work, my supervisor fell very ill. The chances of him coming back to work so soon was very bleak. But his indomitable spirit encouraged me to take a leap of faith and join his laboratory and that was one of the best decisions I made during my PhD.

Not only did he help me professionally, he was also invested in my personal well being. Once my father was not feeling well while I was at the institute. My supervisor checked on me regularly and made sure that I called my father from time to time and informed him about my well-being. Moreover my supervisor’s wife became my second mother. She used to boost the overall morale of the laboratory which made the environment very positive. She even took time to proof-read my thesis. Her humility, despite her scientific accomplishments, had a very optimistic effect on my psych and I owe a part of the success of my doctoral degree to her.

In addition, as a woman in science, I think we need to focus more on the issue of gender equality in academia. My supervisor strongly believed in that and during my stay, there were always equal numbers of men and women scholars in my laboratory. This was in stark contrast with the place where I went for my postdoctoral position. I was the only woman among twelve men. We need to have more women faculty as role models to encourage young girls to come into science and mend this gender disparity. I was lucky I got all the opportunities at my disposal and met wonderful people on this journey. I wish the same for other women.”

-Arkamita Bandopadhyay, PhD in Chemistry, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore