| Research Management and Administration: A Career Opportunity
In this Vlog, Sci-ROI volunteer Dr Sonam Pandey talks to Dr. Savita Ayyar about an overview of the India Research Management Initiative (IRMI), an initiative of the DBT/ Wellcome Trust India Alliance as well as the Consultancy service “Jaquaranda Tree”. She also covers IRMI fellowships and the network for Research Managers in order to promote Research Management and Administration as a Career Opportunity for many STEM professionals who want to make a career transition after completing their PhDs and Postdocs.
Dr. Ayyar is the Founder of Jaquaranda Tree, an independent consultancy service supporting organizations with their research management needs. Dr Ayyar received her initial training in Biochemistry at the University of Delhi and Biotechnology at AIIMS, New Delhi. She completed her doctoral work in Developmental Biology at the University of Cambridge, UK, supported by a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Fellowship. Following a period of postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge UK, she moved to the Wellcome Trust in London, UK. Following this, she relocated to India to initiate and nurture the activities of the Research Development Office (RDO) at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore.
In 2017, Dr Ayyar set up her consultancy service Jaquaranda Tree. She currently works on behalf of academic institutions, funders and other stakeholders on problems relating to research management. She is currently working on behalf of the Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance to develop IRMI, the India Research Management Initiative.
Dr. Savita Ayyar, Founder, Jaquaranda Tree
Consultant and Lead, India Research Management Initiative (IRMI),
DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, Hyderabad |
| Non-academic careers in India
Finished your postgraduate or postdoctoral stint abroad? Are you interested in going back to India? Are you exploring your options outside academia and wondering what the environment is like in the industry of your choice? We present to you the “Non-academic careers in India”, where we talk to people in India to help you decide which career is the one for you! Stay tuned…
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Transition to Indian Industry
Although academic jobs have been the most coveted traditionally after PhD, more are exploring opportunities in the industry. Many are driven by the challenge of translating basic research into services or products for humankind and the desire of giving back to society. Not much unlike SCI-ROI’s philosophy of ‘return on investment’. In this “Transition to Indian industry” series, we talk to scientists who have moved to the industry in India and successfully switched to the private sector. Through this endeavor, we aim to learn about the available opportunities in India and the challenges faced during the process of transition.
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| Perspectives on Indian STEM
Do you want to know what some of the prominent personalities think about the Indian research ecosystem, its progress so far, the current situation and future directions? In this series, we take an in-depth look at these opinions/perspectives, while sharing the writers’ own opinion, analysis and possible solutions.
Return to India: The Avenue of Re-Entry Fellowships
Crafting a career in Science Communication in India
A Need for Expanding Indian Research Beyond the Top Few Institutions |
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Forerunners of Indian STEM
After transitioning back to India, getting oneself established in a particular research field is no easy task. It is possible that you might be one of the few people working in a new, cutting-edge research field in India. Here, some words of experience can be helpful from people who transitioned back to India a long time ago and established themselves in a new field. Learning from the challenges that they faced and the unique experiences they had will help all of us. Their outlook on the future and their advice to young researchers will also be important. Keeping this in mind, Sci-ROIBlogs is starting this series called “Forerunners of Indian STEM”, to share the experiences of established researchers in India.
 Rohini Godbole, Professor, Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bengaluru, India
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Umesh Varshney, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, IISc Bangalore. |
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Sudipta Maiti, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Chemical Sciences, TIFR, Mumbai, India |
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Vidita Vaidya, Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences, TIFR, Mumbai, India |
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| Evolving Trends in India
Indian scientific research is growing at a rapid pace. New policies are being made and facilities are being developed to pursue different avenues of cutting-edge research. There is much left to be done as well. If you would like to know what is happening in India in an emerging research field of your interest, you have come to the right place. Evolving Trends in India series explores different aspects of the growing Indian research, showcasing the progress being made and providing suggestions for further improvement.
STIP2020: A step towards self-reliant India
Plant Phenotyping: An alternative career track in India
Superheroes against Superbugs
Synthetic Biology: Redrawing the Blueprints of Life
A Perspective on Indian Interdisciplinary Research |
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In The Spotlight
How often have you thought about transitioning to a non-academic or a non-traditional career after your PhD or postdoc, but had limited exposure to such ‘alternate’ careers and STEM professionals making such transitions? A study conducted by the Royal Society in 2010 reported that out of all the freshly minted PhDs, 53% goes for non-research careers outside academia and another 26.5% will do the same at some point in their career. Hence, a whopping 79.5% of the PhDs will have a career beyond professorate even after specializing in a core competency for many years. Isn’t it time that we start thinking about these careers as ‘careers of choice’ rather than alternate careers? In the Spotlight Series, we will explore such fascinating and unique careers and learn from the STEM professionals who have embarked on their wonderful journeys in these careers.
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| New Faculty Perspective
Is pursuing an academic faculty career your prime ambition? You might find that your mind has already started weaving multiple novel research ideas and as you are reading this, it has wandered off to your dream institute. Or maybe you know you want to remain in academia, but you do not know how and where to search for your dream institute or research ideas. You miss your family and friends (and oh, that delicious Indian food!) and would love to settle down in India and start a research lab. But you are not sure how to start thinking about that arduous transition. If so, you have come to the right place to get answers on how to navigate through your transition period from being a successful student or postdoc to being an established faculty in India. To learn more about how early career professionals in the United States have transitioned to a faculty position in India recently, Atul, Sayan, and Manali from the Sci-ROI team had conversations with some new faculty members from eminent universities in India.
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