Rohini Godbole Is A World Renowned Nuclear Physicist, Inspiring More Women Into Tech Careers

Earlier in January this year, Professor Rohini M Godbole was one of 19 women that received the prestigious Padma Shri Award, and one of only two from Bengaluru.

And though you may not have heard of her, she's a force to be reckoned with in the world of particle physics.

Image courtesy: Rohini Godbole

After finishing her MSc education from IIT-Bombay and a PhD in theoretical particle physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she subsequently joined Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai as a visiting fellow in 1979. More recently, she's taught at the Centre for Theoretical Studies at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore since 1998, and later at its Centre for High Energy Research.

In the past few decades, she's authored over 150 research papers, with another 150 that feature her contributions. More importantly though, she's also a part of the International Detector Advisory Group (IDAG) for the International Linear Collider at the European research lab, CERN.

But Godbole isn't content to just be an accomplished woman in the field of particle physics. Over years, she's also been working to get more women into the male-dominated research fields. In fact, she chairs the Panel for Women in Science initiative at the Indian Academy of Sciences. She's helped edit a book called 'Lilavati's Daughters', a collection of biographical essays on Indian women scientists published in 2008, in order to present the success stories of other women in scientific research.

"In India, the number of women in schools and colleges is high and so are their achievements," she said at a lecture on women in science earlier this year. "However, the participation of women in research in science is low - thus indicating a serious leakage in the pipeline from college to university to scientific careers."

"There is a 10 percent leakage from college to university and a 5 percent leakage from PhD to successful scientific careers."

IISC

She's given multiple lectures on the topic, with specific measures governments and universities can take to encourage women to pursue academic or research careers. Aside from tackling the lack of education opportunities for women in many parts of the country, she suggests simple changes that universities need to make too.

"Having a good creche on campus, providing on-campus housing for young couples, proactive hiring policies for helping couples manage dual careers, encouraging and rewarding excellence shown by women and improving the work climate are are a few simple, immediate measures that must be taken up by organisations," she's said.

"A long-term action that must be taken is conducting frequent gender audits. All institutions must provide information on the distribution of women among faculty and students," she said.