Also lined up for the start of 2025, is the third Regional Young Investigators’ Meeting (RYIM) for 2024-2025, which will be held from 22 to 24 January 2025 in Chennai. And we are excited to bring to you the second edition of the science writing competition by IndiaBioscience, ‘Write On—2024.' The application closes on 10 January 2025, so hurry up!
Meanwhile, as the year comes to a close, our podcast platform, IndiaBiospeaks, released a new episode of the ‘Jugalbandi - A science duet’ series, and IndiaBioreads is back with the next virtual book chat on the journey of Hyderabad to a global science and technology hub on 19 December 2024 from 3-4 pm IST. You can register for the event here.
We're eager to continue this journey with you and share the stories, experiences, and opportunities that lie ahead. To stay connected and informed, make sure to follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube) and subscribe to our mailing list.
If you have an inspiring story to share, an insightful article to contribute, or a collaborative event idea, we invite you to reach out to us at hello[at]indiabioscience[dot]org. As you know, your active engagement contributes immensely to our shared journey.
So, Happy New Year from IndiaBioscience, and Stay Engaged and Enable Change!
We express our gratitude for the tremendous response to the 17th Young Investigators' Meeting (YIM 2025). The participants have now been shortlisted. And we are working on shortlisting the childcare grantees for YIM 2025. YIM 2025 will be held in Agra, Uttar Pradesh from 3-7 March 2025 in partnership with Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (SNIoE).
If your institute or university wants to engage with YIM 2025, please get in touch with us at yim2025[at]indiabioscience[dot]org. For all YIM 2025 updates, please keep visiting the YIM 2025 webpage.
We successfully wrapped up the second Regional Young Investigators’ Meeting (RYIM) in Bengaluru. The event was held from 28 to 30 November 2024 at Manipal Institute of Regenerative Medicine, MAHE and St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru.
With the theme ‘Accelerating Indian science through private investments’, this 3-day meeting brought together a series of scientific talks, presentations & professional development discussions. Thanks for hosting a RYIM, Namma Bengaluru!
We are excited to announce the third Regional Young Investigators’ Meeting in Chennai. The event will be held from 22 to 24 January 2025 at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) in Chennai.
With the theme ‘Future of medicine and allied health sciences’, this 3-day meeting will bring together a series of scientific talks, presentations & professional development discussions. IndiaBioscience will lead a Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop on 24 January 2025.
You can find more details about the meeting here. The last day to register is 10 January 2025. So, apply soon. We hope to see you, Namma Chennai Chance-ey illa!
In September 2024, IndiaBioscience hosted a week-long seminar series ‘PhD Cafe’ for PhD researchers across India. Supported by the Company of Biologists, the series included talks from PhD researchers, expert mentors and networking sessions. You can read the report on the series, which includes curated feedback, here.
We bring to you another dispatch of talks hosted by She Inspires! awardees. This month we feature Jewel Jameeta Noor from CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Srinagar, who gave a talk to local school students.
She Inspires! is a collaborative initiative by IndiaBioscience and Rukhmabai Initiatives that aims to support women science professionals with a small seed fund to engage with local school children.
We’re thrilled to announce the release of our fifth episode from our podcast series, ‘Jugalbandi - A Science Duet’. This series presents diverse perspectives and insights through engaging conversations between experts from various scientific fields.
In this episode, Samir Brahmachari, a renowned scientist, and Somdatta Karak, a dynamic science communicator, engage in an inspiring jugalbandi moderated by Arushi Batra. Together, they explore how research insights transcend labs and captivate public imagination through storytelling and outreach. You can listen to the entire episode here.
Do you remember Riley Anderson’s emotions? We’re heading back into the intricate maze of her mind! Join us on a thrilling rollercoaster of emotions as we delve into the real science behind what makes us human.
From the exhilaration of joy to the shadows of despair, we’ll uncover the fascinating mysteries of the mind and emotions.
Stay tuned for Sci-Fi or Sci-Fact: Inside Out. Let’s decode the science behind the feelings!
Premas Life Sciences, in collaboration with IndiaBioscience, hosted an interactive webinar on the IIT Jodhpur Advanced Certification Program on Next-Generation OMICS Technologies and Applications on 26 November 2024.
We are excited to announce the second edition of the science writing competition by IndiaBioscience, ‘Write On—2024'. We're calling for diverse styles of popular science writing: storytelling, fiction, book reviews, or interview articles.
To submit your science article, fill the google form. The last date to apply is 10 January 2025. So hurry up, we are excited to read your science articles!
The second conference of the Science Journalists Association of India (SJAI) was held at IISER Pune on 4 and 5 December 2024. With the theme ‘The Underreported: Bridging Gaps in Science Journalism’, the meeting brought together India's leading science journalists for panels, debate, open mics and fireside chats.
Karishma Kaushik from IndiaBioscience led an Open Mic session on ‘SciComm social: My winning move’ with pre-selected participants sharing something new they learnt that changes the way they do science communication.
We are very happy to announce that IndiaBioscience will be at India Science Festival 2025 in Fergusson College, Pune. On 11 and 12 January, we will be conducting a Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop for Masters students and PhD researchers across STEM fields. You can register for the in-person workshop here.
If you plan to be at ISF 2025 in Pune, you can also find us at the panel discussion, ‘The New Age Professor: Entrepreneurs, Science Communicators and Influencers!', which will be moderated by Karishma Kaushik. We hope to see you!
On 14 November 2024, the Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) announced the six recipients of the prestigious Infosys Prize, marking a bold new direction by celebrating young scientists under 40. Each winner receives a gold medal, a citation and a purse of USD 100,000.
In an era where disciplines often seem distinct, science and art are beginning to intertwine in fascinating and innovative ways. The Lodha Genius Programme (LGP) aims to showcase how these two fields can enrich and inform each other.
The Lodha Genius Programme (LGP) at Ashoka University, Haryana, offers high school students a unique opportunity to engage in real-world science and mathematics. Through hands-on experiences in fields like ecological sciences, students are encouraged to ask big questions, participate in fieldwork, and explore their scientific interests.
Scientists at the National Institute of Science Education and Research(NISER), Bhubaneswar, have uncovered the molecular mechanism behind Gram-negative bacteria’s resistance to the drug PC190723, revealing how intra-molecular interactions in proteins, such as salt bridges, prevent the drug from binding effectively.
Tuberculosis owes its persistence to the remarkable adaptability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Recent research from CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, has unveiled the critical roles of enzymes CysM and CysK2 in cysteine synthesis, a key process that enables Mtb to survive the host’s immune defenses, offering potential targets for innovative TB treatments.
Researchers, led by Vivek Tiwari from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Berhampur, recently established ‘Brain age,’ a measure of neuroanatomic health. As we grow older, our brain’s age alters, and the researchers have shown that quantifying these alterations would help us understand ageing and its associated cognitive disorders.
In partnership with Sarada Bulchand from Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, IndiaBioscience brings to you a specially-curated workshop for postdocs in India.
For shortlisted applicants, the workshop will include an online session on 7 February 2025 (10-1 pm IST) and a small group coaching on 21 and 27 February 2025. The last date to apply is 15 January 2025. We look forward to supporting the career trajectories of our postdoc community in India.
In November 2024, IndiaBioscience conducted two Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshops across India. The first, held on 25 November 2024 at CMC Vellore, was for medical students, residents and doctors, and was facilitated by Ankita Rathore and Arushi Batra. The second workshop, led by Karishma Kaushik, took place on 28 November 2024, as part of RYIM Bengaluru, and catered to Master's students, PhD researchers, medical and dental professionals, and postdoctoral fellows.
The CYC program was started at IndiaBioscience in 2019, with a goal to raise awareness among life science students and postdoctoral researchers about the different science careers in India and to help them develop skills to navigate career paths. Starting 2024, IndiaBioscience is open to requests for CYC workshops in online and in-person modes, with a suite of modules and formats that can be found in our recently revamped Crafting Your Career (CYC) webpage. Our newly-launched online format is customised for virtual engagement across a 3-hour module, making it an excellent option for senior PhD researchers and postdocs in an institute.
Do you want us to conduct the CYC workshop (virtual and in-person) at your institute? Write to us hello[at]indiabioscience[dot]org. We look forward to hosting a workshop for you!
Have you been awarded an international grant? Have you mentored a colleague for their international grant application? We invite stories/anecdotes from Indian life science researchers who have recently or previously been awarded international grants. Your stories could inspire other researchers seeking international funding opportunities. If you are interested in sharing your story or mentorship inputs, please let us know through this form.
Scroll down to read a 'Voice from the community' article.
Azim Premji Foundation support for the Education vertical
We are happy to share that the Education vertical at IndiaBioscience is being supported by the Azim Premji Foundation, via monthly articles and interviews on topics relevant to educators.
India’s vast and diverse educational landscape requires more than just teachers; it demands a wide array of education professionals to address challenges such as language diversity and curriculum development. Azim Premji University is leading efforts to nurture such professionals through its postgraduate programs, aligning with the National Education Policy’s vision to transform India’s education system.
R Rukkumani, Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pondicherry University, shares her passion for teaching, shaped by her family of educators and years of academic experience. She also emphasises the importance of nurturing young minds and fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students.
#EducatorsMonday
On the last Monday of every month, we post a question for educators on all our social media handles. We invite you to post your answers, see responses by others, and enjoy the threads of conversation.
Our question for November was: Do you think history of science should be a part of lesson plans while teaching undergraduate biology?
IndiaBioscience is hosting the next virtual book chat from IndiaBioreads with Dinesh C Sharma, author of the book, ‘Beyond Biryani.’ How did Khubani ka meetha, the history of the Nizams and the Char Minar, come to co-exist with Osmania University, IKP Knowledge Park and Bharat Biotech?
Join us for an engaging conversation on the journey of Hyderabad to a global science and technology hub on 19 December 2024 from 3-4 pm IST. You can register for the event here. You also have a chance to grab a free copy of the book at the session, thanks to Westland Books!
If you’ve completed your PhD and are considering a postdoctoral position abroad, knowing the right questions to ask a prospective employer is crucial. In this article for Nature India, Karishma Kaushik provides a comprehensive guide to help early-career researchers navigate these conversations. From discussing the research environment and mentorship style to understanding funding opportunities and long-term career prospects, her insights are invaluable for making an informed decision about your next career step. You can read the entire article here.
More at IndiaBioscience
Ankita graduates with a PhD
Ankita Rathore, Program Manager - Science Communication, was officially awarded a PhD in Science and Technology Communication during the 8th AcSIR convocation held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. She pursued her doctoral studies at the CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR), New Delhi.
YIM 2025 co-organisers meeting
The co-organising team for YIM 2025, including members of team IndiaBioscience, interns and volunteers, met virtually! The meeting was led by Manjula Harikrishna, and amidst conversations, ideas and laughter, we have set the ball rolling for the final phase of YIM 2025 planning.
Survey to understand reviewer response towards in vitro experiments
Humane Society International/India, in collaboration with IndiaBioscience and Centre for Predictive Human Model Systems, AIC-CCMB is conducting a survey to understand peer reviewer expectations and requests during the submission of in vitro data and authors’ perceptions of these requests.
This survey includes questions such as whether a reviewer has ever asked that you validate your in vitro findings with an animal experiment and whether you thought that request was scientifically justified. We want to hear from you either way. Follow this link to the 5-minute survey.
Visitors at IndiaBioscience
We always enjoy having the community drop into our office or meeting you at conferences and workshops across India. See an IndiaBioscience team member? Come by and say hi!
Are you following our dedicated thread (#ScienceJobsTuesdays) for jobs, grants and events on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn? And are you subscribed to our monthly Jobs and Internships monthly newsletter? You can subscribe to it here. Let us help you in your search!
We are always looking for ways to engage with you! If you are an institute, university, company, private enterprise, incubation park or a science collective, get in touch with us with your ideas!
