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Conversations Older →

10 Leaders, 10 Questions: Shahid Jameel
Shreya Ghosh
Shahid Jameel, Chief Executive Officer of The Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance, has been active in science policy and administration for over two decades. He headed the Virology group at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, for 25 years. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award and the BM Birla Science Prize in Biology. In this interview, he speaks to IndiaBioscience about his thoughts on leadership.
Posted on Aug 26, 2019 in Advice & Leadership
Strengthen biology research and education to address 21st century problems
Shreya Ghosh
LS Shashidhara is currently a Distinguished Professor of Biology at Ashoka University and is on lien from IISER Pune. He was recently elected the President of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). In this interview with IndiaBioscience, he discusses IUBS’s activities and the need for scientists to collaborate on a global level to address the pressing problems of the day.
Posted on Aug 07, 2019 in Policy, Teaching & Networking and Collaboration

Education Older →

Strategies for productive faculty-undergraduate research assistant partnerships
Andrea Phillott
Andrea D. Phillott, Professor in Environmental Studies at FLAME University, Pune, Maharashtra, conducts research in the field of marine biology, conservation and education. In this article, she writes about how researchers can effectively engage undergraduate students in research, and how this can benefit both faculty and students.
Posted on Nov 27, 2019 in Advice & Mentorship
Lessons from a mental health workshop in an undergraduate college
Charu D. Rawat & Sagnik Das
An important component of fighting the battle against the mental health epidemic is creating accessible forums to raise awareness. Charu Dogra Rawat (Assistant Professor, Ramjas College, University of Delhi) and Sagnik Das (Student, Ramjas College, University of Delhi) write about a two-day workshop in their college which brought to light many of the mental health-related issues that students face, and allowed them to collectively brainstorm solutions on an open platform.
Posted on Nov 21, 2019 in Mental Health

Exploring Science Older →

Magnetic Nanomotors: “nano-voyagers” inside cells
Divya Sriram
In this next article in our series on interdisciplinarity, we explore how a physicist and biologist duo (Ambarish Ghosh, Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and Deepak Saini, Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, IISc, Bangalore) combined their expertise to create a nanomotor system that can be precisely and accurately manoeuvred inside biological cells.
Posted on Nov 09, 2018 in Biophysics, Research & Interdisciplinarity
How do we actually “pay” attention?
Reeteka Sud
In a recently published study, Sridharan et al. developed a model that explains why it is that when superior colliculus in the brain goes offline, that the ability to use incoming sensory information to make behavioural decisions is severely compromised.
Posted on Jul 25, 2017 in Neuroscience

Indian Scenario Older →

A call for Indian marine scientists to establish a culture of diving safety
Thinesh Thangadurai & Anthony Bellantuono
Marine researchers often use diving techniques to observe underwater habitats and to carry out undersea experiments. India, in spite of being home to a number of exciting marine research projects, lacks concrete regulations and guidelines to ensure the safety of diving scientists. In this article, Thinesh Thangadurai and Anthony Bellantuono provide some suggestions on remedying this situation.
Posted on Dec 05, 2019 in Policy
Understanding the Science Policy Ecosystem in India
B. Chagun Basha
What is Science Policy? How are Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies made in India? Is there an institutional mechanism for STI policymaking? Who are the players involved in the STI policy process? How does evidence flow into this process? This article, as the first in the Science Policy 101 series, attempts to answer, think-through, and discuss these questions.
Posted on Oct 29, 2019 in Policy

Journey of a YI Older →

Journey of a population geneticist: Pursuing a less popular field of research
Ranajit Das
Ranajit Das is an Assistant Professor at Yenepoya University at Mangalore. He is one of the Young Investigators selected to attend YIM2020, and in this invited article, he writes about his experience of pursuing a research career in population genetics, a field of research that defies classification under the traditional subdivisions of biological sciences.
Posted on Dec 16, 2019 in Theoretical Biology, Young Investigators & Interdisciplinarity
Joining a private research institute: challenges and strategies
Amit Agarwal
Amit Agarwal is a Research Scientist at Chest Research Foundation, Pune. He is one of the Young Investigators selected to attend YIM2020 in Mahabalipuram. In this invited article, he writes about the unique challenges faced by a scientist in a private research institute in India, and some strategies that young PIs can use to overcome them.
Posted on Nov 30, 2019 in Career Development & Young Investigators

Opinion Older →

Speaking up: Ending the culture of silence
Zill-e-Anam
In this next article in our series on mental health, Zill-e-Anam discusses the culture of silence that prevents many researchers and students from discussing their mental health issues, thus compounding the problem and delaying treatment for those who need it the most.
Posted on Nov 05, 2019 in Other & Mental Health
Wake up academia, it’s a brand new mental health patient
Debdutta Paul
We are running a series of articles focused on understanding the interaction between mental illnesses and academic life, and the need for greater awareness and research into the same. Next in this series, Debdutta draws insights from his own experiences in graduate school to suggest what institutions and individuals can do to improve mental health conditions within academic spaces.
Posted on Oct 16, 2019 in Mental Health

@IndiaBioscience Older →

Regional Young Investigator Meeting reaches the nation’s capital
Aditi Jain
During the 10th Young Investigators' Meeting (YIM), a need was felt for stronger local networks within the Indian scientific fraternity. Following the success of Regional Young Investigators' Meetings in Kolkata and Hyderabad, the third Regional YIM was held in Delhi NCR. The meeting followed the motto - "Unite, collaborate for a better tomorrow" and gathered scientific minds from throughout the National Capital Region.
Posted on Aug 28, 2019 in YIM, Young Investigators & Networking and Collaboration
Regional YIM Kolkata 2019: Some highlights
Smarajit Polley
Following the success of national Young Investigators' Meetings (YIMs) and the first Regional YIM in Hyderabad, the scientific community of Kolkata gathered in Presidency University on 5-6 February, 2019, with the motto: "Together today for a better tomorrow" for the first Kolkata chapter of Regional YIMs.
Posted on Aug 14, 2019 in YIM, Young Investigators & Networking and Collaboration

PhD Cafe Older →

An Introvert’s Guide to Networking
Vanshika Singh
Vanshika Singh is a PhD student at the National Centre for Brain Research (NBRC), Manesar. In this next article in our PhD Cafe series, she writes about why networking can be challenging for an introverted graduate student and the strategies that one can employ to derive the benefits of networking while remaining true to their personality.
Posted on Oct 04, 2019 in Networking and Collaboration
Do’s and Don’ts for a healthy student-advisor relationship
Parul Anup
Parul Anup recently completed her PhD from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. In this next article in our PhD Cafe series, she talks about the expectations that graduate students and Principal Investigators (PIs) have from each other, and how keeping these in mind can help in building a healthy mentor-mentee relationship.
Posted on Sep 26, 2019 in Advice & Mentorship

Featured Authors

Anil Kumar Challa
Asim Auti
- Talk, blend and perform: tackling the Lab courses
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- Talk, blend and perform: my adventures in the classroom to engage students
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Urvashi Bhattacharyya
Urvashi (Raheja) Bhattacharyya is a Senior Research Analyst with StudyMode with a Ph.D in Neuroscience from NCBS, Bangalore. She loves writing about education and health care and has been associated with IndiaBioscience since 2015.