IndiaBioscience
People
Ankita Rathore
Program Manager-Science Communication
Ankita is a science and technology (S&T) researcher and science communication practitioner in India. Originally trained as a lab bench researcher, with a Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences and Masters in Toxicology, she did her PhD in S&T communication from National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR), New Delhi.
After her masters, she worked as Research Officer at CIB-RC, Faridabad in Regulatory Toxicology and later moved to Mohali, Punjab to work as a Junior Research Fellow to investigate hyperthermia-based treatment for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). At IndiaBioscience, she takes care of science communication vertical, where she aims to actively engage — online and offline — with networks of writers, scientists, educators, researchers, students and experts.
ankita [at] indiabioscience [dot] org
Arushi Batra
Program Manager - Digital Initiatives
Arushi is a passionate and accomplished genome informatician with a background in genomics. She is pursuing her Ph.D. at CSIR-IGIB, New Delhi, where she focuses on understanding the genomics of Intellectual disabilities and has developed a strong foundation in scientific expertise. However, her intrinsic motivation to bridge the gap between scientists and the broader community has led her to explore opportunities beyond the laboratory, delving into the realm of science communication.
With her new role as a Program Manager (Digital Initiatives) at IBS, she is enthusiastic about driving the organization's digital initiatives forward.
arushi [at] indiabioscience [dot] org
Karishma Kaushik
Executive Director
Karishma is a physician-scientist who has led and been involved in a range of initiatives across the scientific landscape in India.
After her MBBS and MD in Clinical Microbiology from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Karishma moved to the US to pursue a PhD. She completed her PhD at the University of Texas at Austin and returned to India as a Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellow. She ran her independent research group at Savitribai Phule Pune University from 2018-2023.
In this new avatar as Executive Director, IndiaBioscience, she looks forward to expanding the impact of IndiaBioscience, by facilitating the scientific ecosystem across India, and fostering partnerships between communities in India and across the world.
karishma [at] indiabioscience [dot] org
Manjula Harikrishna
Project Manager - Community Building
Manjula holds a Master's degree in Microbiology and an MBA in Human Resource Management. She has been an integral part of the IndiaBioscience team since 2016, working closely with the life science community, optimising processes, and contributing to numerous projects. Currently, she leads the 'Community Building' initiative striving to find innovative ways to engage and expand the community. She manages projects like IndiaBioscience Outreach Grants (IOG), expanding the life scientist (LS) database. She is also actively involved in our outreach activities, workshops, conferences, building resource materials and organising our flagship event - the Young Investigator Meeting (YIM).
manjula [at] indiabioscience [dot] org
Shwetha C
Junior Executive - Accounts and Administration, IndiaBioscience
Shwetha graduated with an M.Com and joined IndiaBioscience in 2018. She manages the finances of all the initiatives at IndiaBioscience. She plays a key role raising indents, evaluating vendor proposals and coordinates with the accounts and purchase departments at NCBS. She manages logistics including transportation, reimbursements, bill processing and settlements. She also shoulders office administrative responsibilities such as maintaining records of hardware and equipment, posting on website classifieds, maintaining social media memberships among many other miscellaneous duties as needed.
shwetha [at] indiabioscience [dot] org
Vijeta Raghuram
Program Manager-Education, IndiaBioscience. Assoc. Editor, i wonder...
Vijeta did her PhD in biophysics at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and postdoctoral research in molecular neuroscience at the Vollum Institute, Portland, Oregon, USA. Her strong interest in science communication and education drew her to IndiaBioscience, where she aims to grow the nationwide network of biology educators at the undergraduate level and showcase their experiences and opinions, and the latest innovations in pedagogy. She is also an associate editor of a bi-annual science magazine for school teachers called “i wonder…”, published by Azim Premji University. The magazine presents basic science concepts in a new light through storytelling, classroom activities, interviews, and more. Through her contributions to the magazine, Vijeta hopes to reinvigorate science education in schools.
