Who Is Nallathamby Kalaiselvi, The First Female Director General Of CISR?
For the longest time, women have not been seen fit to work in the field of sciences. Either there weren’t opportunities, to begin with, or they were held back owing to decades of sexist prejudices. Slowly and gradually this has changed as more and more women are making a name for themselves in the sciences, paving the way for the next generation of girls to dream big. On that note, I am glad to inform you that senior electrochemical scientist Nallathamby Kalaiselvi has been appointed as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s first female director general (CISR). Kalaiselvi has been appointed by the personnel ministry for a two-year term beginning on the date she assumed responsibility for the position and continuing until further orders, whichever comes first. 38 state-run research institutions from across the nation are grouped together to form the CISR.
Nallathamby Nallathamby Kalaiselvi’s Beginnings
At CSIR-CECRI, Kalaiselvi began her research career as a junior scientist. Kalaiselvi, who comes from the small village of Ambasamudhram in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district, attended school in the Tamil language, which she claims helped her understand the principles of science in college. For more than 25 years, Kalaiselvi has been conducting research on electrochemical power systems, with a particular emphasis on the development of electrode materials and the electrochemical assessment of internally prepared electrode materials for their suitability in the assembly of energy storage devices.
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Her areas of interest in research include supercapacitors, lithium and other battery types, waste-to-wealth driven electrodes, and electrolytes for electrocatalytic and energy storage applications. She is currently working to create sodium-ion/lithium-sulfur batteries and supercapacitors that are useable in everyday life. Six patents and more than 125 research articles are to her credit.
Who is Nallathamby Kalaiselvi?
Shekhar Mande’s replacement, Nallathamby Kalaiselvi, took over when he retired in April. Following Mande’s retirement, Rajesh Gokhale, secretary for the Department of Biotechnology, was given additional responsibility for the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Kalaiselvi is a well-known expert in lithium-ion batteries and currently serves as director of the CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute in Tamil Nadu’s Karaikudi. She will also serve as the department of scientific and industrial research’s secretary. In February 2019, Kalaiselvi, who has advanced through the CSIR ranks, became the first female scientist to lead the Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI), shattering the proverbial glass ceiling.
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Many members of the scientific community and science administration expressed their congratulations on her nomination to the important position. Best wishes and heartfelt congratulations to Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, said Ajay Sood, the government’s top scientific advisor. Kalaiselvi was welcomed by K VijayRaghavan, Sood’s predecessor, Renu Swarup, Madhavan Rajeevan, the former secretary of the Department of Earth Sciences, and other scientists. Anbumani Ramadoss, a former health minister for the Union, expressed his pride in Kalaiselvi being a Tamil Nadu native. Ramadoss expressed confidence that Kalaiselvi, the CSIR’s first female director general, will lead India to tremendous heights in scientific advancement.
