Could you tell us something about your professional achievements and career progression?

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As soon as I completed my bachelor’s in chemical engineering, I was selected by Professor P D Grover at IIT Delhi for the Indo-US project on the Development of biomass gasifiers for dual-fuel engine gensets. Soon I joined as a PhD student under his supervision and my PhD work, especially on rice husk was appreciated globally. I was even invited to speak at the prestigious National Renewable Energy Institute, Colorado, US in 1988.

In 1988, I joined IIT Bombay as a Faculty in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. During this time, I received global recognition in the field of Biomass and Biofuels, underground gasification of coal and other related areas. I have several publications in international journals with over 4000 citations, have authored a few book chapters, and have been granted patents too.

I have set up many labs in collaboration with various industries. One of them being Cummins Engine Research Facility, where an engine to run on straight vegetable oils, without any external heating and conforming to the then emission norms were developed. With support from Cummins, this technology was used to electrify a remote tribal village in Orissa. Challenges were many, including making access roads, putting up poles without any types of equipment etc. The project focused on making electricity sustainable and economical, and most importantly, trained women to be the operators. The project won the Innovation Award of the year 2010 on Energy Conservation, conferred by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). For the project, I was also invited to share my experience in an open hall session at MIT and invited to be a visiting Professor at Purdue in the year 2008.

After 25 years of teaching and research, I moved out of my comfort zone into the corporate world and started my second career in 2013. It wasn’t easy—neither for me to adjust and adapt the ways nor for the corporates to accept the academic ways; there was inclusion but not acceptance. It was always a conscious effort from both sides but an unconscious bias, which changed over time and eventually efforts paid off.

Coming from an academic background and to become the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), I went through a rotation of leading Product Development, an Institution called CRTI which focused on Analysis led design and validation, then Research and Innovation.

As a CTA, I advise senior Cummins leadership on innovative technology, regulatory trends, and policy. I also advise on University and Government collaboration areas and strategic partnerships. In 2020, I was inducted as a Fellow of the Indian Nation Academy of Engineering. I am also the recipient of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Prism Award in 2021 for my impact on Society as well as the engineering community. I have shared my journey and tips in an e-book published in 2021, by the CII on 51 Indian women achievers in STEM.

What are the attributes that helped you to reach where you are in your career?

I have always cultivated an urge to do something different, ready to move out of my comfort zone and use STEM as a tool to contribute to society. I am immensely grateful to the universe for bestowing me with opportunities and an excellent support system of guides, philosophers, family and friends, especially my parents, husband, and daughter.

Another very important thing that has worked in my career and life was manifesting. I like to dream and visualize. It is good to set goals – short, medium, and long-term, but more important is to dream as to what you as a person want to be and be doing. Be passionate about that, and nature will conspire to make it happen. Life and destiny take their own course, just resetting is required.

How far have you succeeded in challenging the stereotypes?

I have been a trailblazer all my life. I was the first from my family to learn dance and perform the arangetram, the first girl in my family to study engineering in a different city, to pursue a PhD, travel overseas alone, and many more firsts in the career path. I believe that one must challenge the stereotypes. It will be tough, and fear of failure will always be there. But, we need to befriend the fear and move on. Even one support from anyone in the family or friends or teachers should be enough to keep you going.

How can women entrepreneurs broaden their horizons and become inspiring leaders of tomorrow?

In today’s corporate terms, I believe that one can be made a leader, but one can’t become an inspiration by design. A woman needs to believe in herself, be proud of being a woman and above all be ready to move out of her comfort zone. Don’t try and beat the fear, just accept it, and move on.

In both essential and digital functions, women suffered the repercussions of the economic and social effects of the pandemic. Your comments?

Pandemic was a setback for everyone but women suffered even more. My appeal to all women is to invest in and foster sisterhood bonds to support each other during exigencies and crises.

What’s the message you want to send to young working women?

My advice to young women would be to hold each other’s hands and help lift each other. Effective communication is equally pertinent with family and friends as it is in the professional context. One needs to be proud of being a woman and only then can she take up challenges positively.