Women In Science 2021: Year after year, women scientists have denied the sexist mindset that women are not good at science. Yet the popular idea on social media and family reunions has stubbornly remained the same.

Every year, the Indian government and other institutions introduce awards and programs to honor women scientists and researchers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Also this year, several women were recognized by the government and world institutions. From finding stars hotter than the sun to developing a new anti-fungal strategy, women scientists have excelled in several fields of science.

Here are some women of science who made their mark in 2021:

Sumita mitra

The Indo-American chemist received the European Inventor Award this year. It is a prestigious award for innovation in Europe. Mitra won the award for its application of nanotechnology in dentistry. It won in the category of non-member countries of the European Patent Office (EPO). His creation incorporated nanoparticles into the production of dental materials, which led to a new composite for repairing teeth. She is a partner at Mitra Chemical Consulting, LLC, a business she started with her husband Smarajit Mitra.

Suggested Reading: Ordinary Indian Girls Who Achieved Extraordinary Feats In 2021

Shriya Srinivasan

Srinivasan is a biomedical engineer whose research focuses on how to fight neurological diseases by combining human physiology with neutral interfaces. She received her doctorate from Harvard in medical engineering and medical physics. His research has focused on developing new amputation paradigms to restore sensory feedback, which has now been clinically translated and helps amputees live better lives. Previously, she was the co-director of the Hacking Machine program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Barnali das

Das is a researcher from Assam. With her team, she found eight exotic radio stars that are hotter than the sun. Their discovery was detailed in a research article that was accepted by the Astrophysical Journal. They were able to make the discovery using the giant VHF radio telescope. Her hometown is Pathsala in the Balaji district of the state and she worked with Professor Poonam Chandra at the National Center for Radio Astrophysics of the Tata Fundamental Research Institute in Pune.

Archana Chugh

A six-member all-female team, led by Chugh, has developed a unique antifungal strategy that can cure fungal eye infections. All members were doctoral students and they came up with a new peptide-based antifungal strategy. The team members included Dr Shikha Yadav, Dr Aashtha Jain, Harsha Rohira, Sujithra Shankar and Dr Sushmita G Shah. Professor Chugh who led the team is from the Kusuma School of Biological Sciences at IIT Delhi.

Dr Shobhna Kapoor

Kapoor is an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, in chemical biology. She has expertise in host-pathogen interactions and membrane biology, body chemicals and biophysics. She was shortlisted for the award by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), which rewards women scientists under the age of 40. Of the four selected, she was awarded for his study of the roles played by lipids in infectious diseases at the molecular level.