Lab Hopping: Women Scientists in India

From Bhopal to Bhubaneswar, from Bangalore to Jammu, Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj engage in thought-provoking conversations with renowned scientists like Gagandeep Kang, Rohini Godbole, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Prajval Shastri, as well as researchers at earlier stages of their scientific careers. These dialogues about the triumphs and challenges faced by women offer fresh perspectives on the gender gap that continues to plague Indian science today.

Our labs are brimming with inspiring stories of women scientists persisting in science despite facing apathy, stereotypes, sexism and systemic and organisational challenges, stories that reveal both a broken system and the extraordinary women working to fix it.

By questioning whether India is doing enough to support its women in science and if western models of science and feminism can truly be applied in India, the authors offer not just a comprehensive examination of the state of women in science but a roadmap for the way forward.