Women in Science

Condolence note

It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Padma Shri, Prof. Rohini Godbole, who peacefully left us early this morning in her sleep. Beyond being an outstanding scientist, she was an inspiring leader, mentor and a colleague. A tireless advocate for women in STEM, she received numerous accolades, including the Padma Shri, the Ordre national du Mérite from France, memberships in several prestigious academies, and honorary DLitt and DSc degrees from various institutions. She also contributed her expertise on numerous advisory committees to governments in India and internationally.

Prof. Rohini Godbole was a trailblazer in the field of particle physics and retired as a full professor from the Indian Institute of Science in July 2018 but continued her research activities at the Centre for High Energy Physics (CHEP) till date. While her research spanned various subfields, her primary focus remained on collider physics, particularly in top quark and Higgs boson studies. She was a strong advocate for future colliders, especially the International Linear Collider (ILC) and its variants, and her expertise in these areas was sought after worldwide. Prof. Godbole played a pivotal role in steering India’s scientific community towards advancements in this field through numerous programs, conferences and networking efforts. Her contributions also extended to significant work in areas like supersymmetry.

Prof. Kavita is a recipient of the India Alliance Intermediate and Senior Fellowships in 2012 and 2020 respectively. She was awarded the IYBA award, the DBT-Janaki Ammal Woman Bioscientist Award, the BK Bachhawat travel Award as well as multiple grants like DBT grant, MoE-STARS grant and the SERB-POWER grant.

Prof. Kavita Babu

Associate Professor and India Alliance Senior Fellow, Centre for Neuroscience, IISc.

Prof. Kavita Babu’s lab is interested in understanding how neurons “talk” to other neurons and to the muscles that are controlled by neurons. We are interested in understanding the signaling mechanisms underlying neuronal communication through both neuropeptides and cell surface molecules. To study neuronal crosstalk, she employ the small free-living nematode worm called Caenorhabditis elegans or C. elegans for short. Using this organism that has only 302 neurons she can employ molecular, genetic and behavioral methods to study neuropeptidergic signaling between neurons as well as the signaling role of cell adhesion molecules like claudins at the neuromuscular junction.

Some of the ongoing projects in her lab include:

a) Signaling role of cell adhesion molecules at the synapse. For this project she largely focus on how a class of molecules called claudins allow for normal synaptic function.

b) Understanding how neurons communicate with each other using neuropeptides and how these neuropeptide-based circuits allow the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to modulate locomotion.

c) More recent work involves looking at molecular and development aspects of long-term memory using Caenorhabditis elegans as the model of choice.