Imperial College London is inviting applications for a unique fellowship programme to help nurture the next generation of leading women scientists from India and South Asia.
In partnership with the British Council, the fully funded Early Academic Fellowships are being offered to women from across South Asia to spend up to a year at Imperial College London. The fellowships have been created to help address the under-representation of women in STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – and offer a springboard for scholars to launch research careers.
Professor Mary Ryan, Imperial’s Vice Provost (Research and Enterprise), said: “Imperial is one of the world's most international universities. Much of our success is due to the global talent we attract.
“Every young scientist should have the same opportunities to develop their ideas and career, and we need to support those under-represented and disadvantaged financially. This new Fellowship programme will remove some of the barriers faced by women scientists in South Asia and enable the next generation of rising stars to access a world-class research ecosystem and fulfil their potential.”
The research placements will support candidates to contribute to science and innovation for sustainable development in their home countries, designed to help successful applicants become ambassadors to inspire future generations of women to pursue a career in STEM. Applicants will be required to demonstrate their financial need, how they seek to inspire future generations of women to pursue a career in STEM and how the Fellowship would enable them to contribute to socio-economic development and capacity building in their home country.
Indian Women in STEM at Imperial College London…
Dr Shashi Arya is based at the university’s Centre for Environmental Policy and is researching electronic waste (e-waste).
She said: “The British Council Women in STEM Fellowship is a dream come true. Thanks to this scholarship, I can expand my work, ideas, skills, and abilities. It is an extremely unique opportunity as it has supported women to go out and achieve their dreams.
“My research aims to understand and provide an advanced and sustainable solution to the growing threat of e-waste. It is one of the fastest-growing wastes and a major concern worldwide.
"The UK is one of the second largest e-waste generators in the world and due to its hazardous composition, it has become a threat to the environment and human health. This means it has become an important concern and hot topic all over the world to come up with immediate solutions.
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“My work at Imperial is to propose and come up with innovative and cost-effective solutions to minimise the problems and maximise possible potential benefits. Working at Imperial opens up many new avenues and hopefully, it will facilitate my career path by paving the way for collaborations with a wide range of local and international companies and organisations involved in e-waste management and circular economy.”
Dr Kasturi Singh is based at the university’s Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment and is researching tropical cyclones dynamics and climatology.
She said: “I feel women face lots of hardship during their careers, particularly women who chose STEM.
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“It’s important that we share the inspiring and exceptional stories of women from the STEM field, to inspire other women and girls to pursue careers in science and research. The diverse student and staff mass from all around the world at Imperial makes it more enjoyable for me to work here.
"Since my first day, I found the environment at Imperial to be very friendly, everyone is extremely helpful, be it research work or day-to-day life.”
“My research focuses on the impact of the size of the initial disturbances on the intensification process of the system. We are using weather research and forecasting to simulate tropical cyclones.”
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The deadline to apply for the fellowship is May 19, with the first placements of six to 12 months to begin in September 2023.
*Info: Women in STEM Fellowship