Challenges and Opportunities in Indian Science - ACS Publications

Chapter 31

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Challenges and Opportunities in Indian Science: My Experiences M. Lakshmi Kantam* (Former Director, CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad) Professor, Department of Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University( A Central University) Tezpur-784028, Assam, India *E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected].

My journey towards the design and development of catalysts started with an aim to develop innovative, green, and economical processes for chemical industry and to fulfill my life’s ambition of serving the society through meaningful research contributions. Our research group developed cutting edge technologies for fine chemicals, employing catalysts that meet stringent environmental specifications in pollution abatement. We made significant contributions in developing various novel solid acids / bases, homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts and processes for alkylation, nitration, oxidation, C-C and C-N coupling, asymmetric catalysis and other reactions. I have 301 research publications and 42 international patents to my credit. I serve as an editorial board member for The Chemical Record and Journal of Chemical Sciences. I am a Fellow of Indian National Science Academy, India and Royal Society of Chemistry (London, U.K.). I am a member of scientific committees in India and am the Chairperson for Chemical Sciences of Women Scientists Scheme, Department of Science and Technology, India. I am an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. My father was a medical doctor and he had a great influence on me. In the early sixties, I was the first girl to go to school and college on a bicycle in my native place and this became a trend setter for many girls later. This kind of upbringing helped me to be bold in all walks of my life. Despite having © 2015 American Chemical Society Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


an opportunity to go for medical education, I opted for a Ph. D. in Chemistry. In accordance with my professional ambition, I joined CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, a premier research laboratory in Chemical Sciences and Technology, as a Scientist in 1984. I served as Head, Inorganic & Physical Chemistry Division for 9 years and rose to the position of Director, CSIR-IICT in 2013. I attribute my success to my willingness to do hard work and strong will to make appropriate decisions.

Introduction India is a unique example of unity in diversity and is known as a land of opportunities. This great nation offers abundant opportunities for women, not only in science, but also in many other walks of life. There is a progressive increase in the participation of women in science, and many of them are at leadership positions of different organizations. I, for example, served as the Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad, from April 2013 to March 2015. Around six decades of my personal life and over three decades of professional journey in science have been very enterprising.

Childhood, Family, and Early Education I was born in 1955 in Tenali, a town in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tenali, also known as Andhra Paris, is famous for its rich historical, agricultural, cultural and literary background. Tenali Ramakrishna, a scholarly poet, well known for his wit and impressive Telugu poetry, who was in the court of Emperor Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagara Empire of 16th century, hailed from here. My father, Dr. Mannepalli Seshagiri Rao, who is my role model, was a medical doctor and a man of few words with a clear vision about the future and progressive thinking, while my mother, Mrs. Rama Saraswathi, is a house wife. I was fortunate enough to be born in a well-educated family. As is the norm in India, ours was a joint family, where my grandparents, uncles and aunts shared the same house. Both my grandfathers (paternal and maternal) were very famous advocates of an independent India during the British Period. My brother Mr. Shankar and I were nurtured in this great atmosphere and were cared for by our uncles and aunts. My family still continues to be a joint one with my brother, sister-in- law, my nephew and my parents staying together for the past 34 years (Figure 1). I completed my school education in the late sixties at Netaji Upper Primary School, Municipal School and Iowa Girls High School in Repalle, a coastal town of Guntur District, located on the banks of holy River Krishna. Repalle is well known for its agriculture, scenic beauty and educational institutions. I started my schooling along with my brother, who later moved to Sainik School for his higher education. In those days in a small town, I became a trend setter for many girls by my going to school on bicycle. 374 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Figure 1. My family. (Courtesy of the author.)

Traditionally, in Indian culture, a woman holds a very respectable position at home and society, but it is not the same in education and particularly in science. Although very few women chose science and education, the role of women was mostly limited to mentoring the family and taking care of home. In independent India there has been a radical shift in the thinking of society and women are taking up science on par with men. It is highly appropriate to quote the father of Indian Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, who said, “When a man is educated, an individual is educated. When a woman is educated, a family and a country are educated.” India has implemented this principle and I feel lucky that I am one of the beneficiaries due to the strong support and progressive thinking of my family. This upbringing has helped me enormously in all walks of my life to face any problems boldly.

Opting Science as Career and Higher Education Generally most of the Indian parents want their children, be it a son or a daughter, to either become an engineer or a doctor. If not that, then the girls in particular are asked to prefer one of the Arts subjects, rather than science. My father also wanted me to opt for medical education. When I took a decision to pursue my career in science, he concurred with me and supported my endeavours in science. He used to tell me that “you should be the decision maker for your own career and I will not force you to fulfil my wish”. After this decision I completed my graduation at JMJ College for Women and VSR College, Tenali, opting to study Chemistry, Botany and Zoology. I was more fascinated by Chemistry from the beginning. This fascination was due to inventions in Chemistry and the industrial applications of it. During my college days, the major learning for me was to listen to everyone’s suggestions but do whatever your conscience tells you to do if you want to lead a successful life. 375 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Another major decision, rather the turning point of my life, was to pursue my post-graduate degree in Chemistry at Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, in northern India. It takes almost 36 hours to travel by train to Kurukshetra from my native place. It was a difficult decision in those days for a woman to go away from home for education. My father’s friends and well-wishers advised him against this but my father stood behind me like a solid rock. After completing my postgraduation in chemistry, I had options like taking on private or government jobs, but I pursued my passion and continued further in scientific research. I worked for my Ph. D. in Chemistry at Kurukshetra University, under the supervision of Prof. Yatirajam. I owe a lot to the professor, my guide and mentor, for training me on research in applied industrial chemistry and encouraging me to become a strong and independent researcher. He always told me that research should be carried out for the betterment of society and the ultimate aim of research should be for the application to the end user. Kurukshetra is far from my native place. I found my second home in the house of my professor, Prof. Yatirajam away from my own in Repalle, where I stayed with his family, his wife, two daughters and a son, for more than seven and half years. He and his wife took care of me as their fourth child and as an elder daughter. Everyone in Kurukshetra University thought that I was the eldest daughter of Prof. Yatirajam and were wondering on how I could work with my father for the Ph. D.

Professional Career After completion of my Ph. D. at Kurukshetra, I came back to Tenali and joined as a Lecturer, for a brief period of time, in the same college where I did my graduation. Then came the turning point of my life, i.e., joining the Regional Research Laboratory, Hyderabad, now CSIR-IICT, first as a Post-doctoral fellow and later as a Scientist B. Interestingly, at RRL, I found the potential of fulfilling my dream of finding applications of research in the process chemistry and technology development. This great institute is well known for its contributions in the pharma, agrochemical and other industries. I joined the electrifying atmosphere of the institute and worked with Dr. B. M. Choudary for 21years, where a lot of research was going on in the area of process chemistry in these sectors to fulfil the growing needs of the country towards self-reliance. Thus, I decided to pursue my career in technology and process development. I was well aware that good basic science only can lead to good technology and one has to strike a balance between them to provide a good technology ‘on time’. Keeping this vision in mind, we had initiated research in our group covering both aspects in the area of catalysis science and technology. My prime objective was to serve the chemical, pharmaceutical and strategic sectors through continuous efforts in this area. During the course of my scientific career, I have completed several industrial projects in applied research in I & PC division, while continuing my basic research in the areas of catalysis for sustainable product/process development. Several of my basic research results are being utilized for the industrial process development today. 376 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Forging International Collaborations By choosing to pursue science as a career, I felt that it should be truly international in character with no boundaries. I am an avid supporter of this and started forging international collaborations from the very early part of my professional career. Soon after joining RRL, Hyderabad, I visited the laboratory of Prof. Likholobov in Russia, during 1987, as a visiting scientist. I moved to the laboratory of Prof. I. E. Marko at University of Sheffield, U.K., during 1990-91 (Figure 2) to advance my knowledge in the area of organometallic chemistry as a research associate and I spent more than a year and half there, which perhaps is my longest stay abroad. I was offered the prestigious JSPS fellowship as a visiting scientist during September 1995 to July 1996 by Prof. Takaya and Prof. Nozaki at Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, where I worked in the area of frontiers of catalysis. I visited the laboratory of Prof. Figueras at IRC, Lyon (Figure 3), France, and also Prof. Iwasawa at Tokyo University, Tokyo (Figure 4) to work in the area of industrial catalysis. I would also like to mention the names of Prof. A. Vinu, NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan; Prof. Bhargava, RMIT University (Figure 5), Melbourne, Australia; Prof. K. Ramanuja Chary, Rowan University, U.S.A. (Figure 6) and Prof. K. Klabunde, U.S.A. who invited me as visiting scientist and provided warm hospitability with fruitful scientific collaborations. To add further, I acknowledge the support of professors and industries across the globe who have offered positions to my research students in their organizations, as I always count it is one of the parameters of acceptance of our research on a wider platform. I would like to mention another important point here that I have visited and worked in several laboratories across the globe and got lucrative job opportunities in U.K., Japan and France, but I was firm in continuing my job in India and serve my people, besides serving all human beings through appropriate technology development.

Figure 2. Prof. I. E. Marko. (Courtesy of the author.) 377 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Figure 3. Prof. Figueras, IRC, France. (Courtesy of the author.)

Figure 4. Prof. Iwasawa, Tokyo University, Japan. (Courtesy of the author.)

Elevation as Head, I&PC, CSIR-IICT I was elevated to the position of Head of the Inorganic and Physical Chemistry (I&PC) Division of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, in 2005, where I led a team of 35 highly qualified scientists, 20 supporting technical staff and 140 young research scholars. Under my leadership, I&PC division provided excellent research outputs covering Heterogeneous Catalysis, Homogeneous Catalysis, Organometallic Chemistry, Material Science, and Nanotechnology, catering to the needs of health, energy and environmental sectors. My emphasis has all along been on the promotion of both basic and industrial research. 378 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


Figure 5. Prof. Bhargava, RMIT, Australia. (Courtesy of the author.)

Figure 6. Prof. K. Ramanuja Chary, Rowan University, U.S.A. and Dr.B.M. Reddy , IICT, Hyderabad. (Courtesy of the author.)

Appointment as Director CSIR-IICT I was appointed as the Director of CSIR-IICT in April 2013, to lead this great institution with its main focus on chemical sciences and technologies. This was widely covered by media, since I am the first women director of CSIR laboratories (chain of 37 laboratories across India) in its existence of more than seven decades (Figure 7 and 8). However, I am a firm believer and advocate of gender equality; hence, I would like to be better termed as one of the directors of CSIR laboratories, rather than the first women director in the CSIR system. The moment I took 379 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


over the reins, I refocused our orientation on technology and process development through involvement of industries, in parallel with continuing basic research in the chemical & allied sciences and engineering. Besides this, my focus is also on nurturing young talent and creating skilled and professional scientific human resource.

Figure 7. CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, India. (Courtesy of the author.)

Figure 8. Director’s Office, CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, India. (Courtesy of the author.)

Scientific Contributions and Professional Accomplishments My main research area has been Catalysis, Materials and Process Chemistry. During more than three decades of my research in this area, our team has been able to develop several novel homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for innovative, green, energy efficient and economical processes and technologies for industries. The development of specially designed homogeneous/heterogeneous catalysts for chemical reactions with innovative scientific inputs to achieve highest possible atom economy has been one of my prime objectives. In particular, our contributions are on the utilization of nanomaterials, hydrotalcites 380 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


and hydroxyapatites as supports and catalysts for asymmetric catalysis for C-C and C-N coupling reactions. Development of ligand-free heterogeneous layered double hydroxide supported nano-palladium catalyst using basic LDH in place of basic ligands exhibiting higher activity and selectivity in the Heck olefination of chloroarenes is a success story. Asymmetric hydrosilylation of ketones to chiral secondary alcohols with good yields and excellent enantioselectivities using Cu-Al hydrotalcite and BINAP has opened up a new perspective. Designed and developed recyclable heterogeneous catalysts, copperexchanged fluorapatite and tert.-butoxyapatite by incorporating basic species F-/tBuO- in apatite for N-arylation of imidazoles with chloroarenes and fluoroarenes for the first time. I have also carried out development of phosphine free homogeneous catalysts, palladium(II) complexes of tetradentate dicarboxyamide/dipyridyl ligands for Heck reaction of aryl halides - the first report on the use of purely N-donor ligands. Nanomaterials as catalysts and supports is another area which has systematically been exploited by my group for the advancement of science. In the area of technology development & demonstration, we have developed various new catalysts for the synthesis of organic intermediates and fine and bulk chemicals. Some of the process technologies demonstrated are: synthesis of triphenylphosphine, TBBA, L-phenylalanine, benzaldehyde from toluene, nitration of toluene, tert.-butyltoluene, tert.-butylbenzoic acid, and conversion of waste plastic to oils. I have published around 301 research papers so far in reputed international and national journals with a ‘h index’ around 42. I have 42 international and 42 national patents to my credit and 30 research students have obtained their Ph.D. degrees under my guidance. In a career spanning over three decades, I have been recognized and rewarded by organizations, scientific bodies, universities and academies. Some of honours I received are: Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) in Science by Sri Padmavathi Womens University, Tirupati (2014); Fellow of Indian National Science Academy (2014); NEERI CHEMCON Distinguished Speaker Award by Chemcon (2013); Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, London (2013); Vasvik Award (2011); Lifetime Achievement Award, Indian Chemical Society (2011); Platinum Jubilee Lecture Award (ISC-2010); Visiting Scientist, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia (2009); Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India (2008); Adjunct Professor, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia (2008); B. D. Tilak Visiting Fellow, UICT, Mumbai (2008); Visiting Scientist, NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan (2008); RMIT Foundation Fellowship Award, RMIT University, Australia (2007); Fellow of Andhra Pradesh Akademy of Sciences, Hyderabad (2006) etc. I am the Chairperson, Subject Expert Committee, Women Scientist Scheme, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. My parents are the biggest influence in shaping my career and personal life. I regard my father as my role model and whatever I am today is due to his encouragement, forward thinking, vision, fast decision-making, and example of of intellectual freedom. I still remember his golden words: “Nobody can stop you from what you want to do”. In this context, I take this opportunity to acknowledge Dr. B. M. Choudary, MD, Ogene Systems India Ltd., Hyderabad, all my former directors, Dr. G. Thyagarajan, Dr. A. V. Rama Rao, Dr. K. V. Raghavan and Dr. J. 381 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


S. Yadav, Prof. M.K. Chaudhuri, Vice-Chancellor, Tezpur University, Prof. G. D. Yadav, Director, ICT, Mumbai, all my colleagues and students at CSIR-IICT for their contributions in my professional growth and all my collaborators from India and abroad. I would like to pay my profound gratitude to Prof. C. L. Khetrapal (Figure 9), who is my mentor and godfather in professional life .

Figure 9. Prof. Khetrapal, India. (Courtesy of the author.)

Opportunities and Challenges for Women in Indian Science: My Perspectives It is my strong belief that, there are unlimited opportunities for women in Indian Science. One has to pursue dreams with passion, hard work, dedication and perseverance. I would refrain from citing statistics of women in Indian Science, their roles in science and education, and the awards they have received. However, I would like to tell with certainty that the growth trend of women in Indian Science is in the positive direction. Women make several sacrifices, both professionally and personally, face daunting challenges related to culture and societal expectations, and have to strike a fine balance on two fronts - priority between the family and professional demands. The social norms/demands, societal structure, relationship between family and work, and the organizational processes of scientific institutions have been the root of the problems and challenges for women in Indian science (1, 2). However, the people-centric sustainable development initiatives such as education, training, economic resources, information, communication and marketing are being implemented to ensure and enhance the participation of women in science and technology. The perseverance, intelligence, talent and overall qualities of women are being exploited to create rich S&T enterprises and capacity building (3). I strongly believe that knowledge does not differentiate 382 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.


between genders. Hence, we only have to change our perspective in our understanding, without having a pre-conceived notion on gender as a criterion. “Empowering women through science and technology, is about giving them the opportunity to advance themselves and become successful (3, 4).” I would like to quote Maharishi Karve’s vision of ‘Sanskrita Stree Parashakti’ (an enlightened woman is a source of infinite strength). Hence, the world has to realize this strength and more participation of women in science is a must for the good of humanity and welfare of the world.

Conclusions Looking back at my life so far, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for having been able to serve the scientific community through sheer determination and commitment within my limited capacity and resources. It has been a rich rewarding life, both intellectually and personally, and I am very proud of my association with a great organization like CSIR for more than three decades. I urge all the youngsters to opt for a career in the fascinating world of science and I feel that the innovative and enterprising youngsters have the potential to make it. Can you imagine the happiness one gets when the products/processes/materials developed by you are in the market? Or a reaction, an instrument, or a diagnostic tool that bears of your name? Listen to the suggestions and opinions of all around you, analyze yourself and the situation, but be firm in pursuing your dream, by being responsive to the situation, rather than being reactive. Finally, I would like to end with the saying “Nothing is impossible, provided you have a strong will to succeed.”

Acknowledgments Thanks are due to Dr Marinda Li Wu, 2013 President of the American Chemical Society for inviting me to the Symposium on “ACS Women Leaders of the Global Chemical Enterprise” in San Francisco and giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts.

References 1.

2. 3.

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Sharma, A. Status of Women: A socio-historical analysis in different ages of Indian society. Research J. Language, Literature and Humanities 2014, 1, 10–14. Ghosh, P. Women and science education in India: A saga of marginalization. Sci & Culture 2012, 76, 84–92. Sharma, M. Science & Technology for Women; The Conference on Women in Science, Alexandria, October 23−24, 2007 (www.bibalex.org/WIS2007/ Attachments/Speakers/Manju.ppt). Iyer, L. Female Feynmans. The Week, Special Report, February 23, 2004, 80−85 (http://www.ias.ac.in/womeninscience/The%20Week.pdf). 383 Cheng et al.; Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015.

Challenges and Opportunities in Indian Science - ACS Publications

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