Physicist Rohini Godbole, one of the prominent voices advocating equal opportunities for women in science in India, passed away. She was 71. She was among the prominent voices advocating equal opportunities for women in the field of science.
Padma Shri Prof Physicist Rohini Godbole Passes Away
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- Physicist Rohini Godbole, one of the prominent voices advocating equal opportunities for women in science in India, passed away. She was 71. She was among the prominent voices advocating equal opportunities for women in the field of science.
Rohini Godbole
- A Padma Shri recipient, Godbole was associated with the Centre for High Energy Physics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, for over 25 years.
- Since 2018, she has worked as an honorary professor after superannuation. Pune-born Godbole was an alumnus of SP College and IIT, Bombay.
- In 1979, she got her doctorate from Stony Brooks University, USA. Godbole, a brilliant researcher and a champion of women in science, joined CHEP as an associate professor in 1995 and has been a professor since 1998. It was only after 12 years of lecturing at the University of Mumbai that she got the opportunity to pursue research full-time.
- She joined the Indian Institute of Science in 1995 and this is where she lived and worked since then. Post her superannuation on July 31, 2021, she became an honorary professor.
- Among her most noted contributions is the ‘INSA Report: Access of Indian Women to Careers in Science’ report, a first-of-its-kind document revealing the issues faced by Indian women while pursuing science as a career in college, The Indian Express said. She was among the members who worked and submitted the landmark report.
- Her prediction of an important phenomenon (referred to as the “Drees-Godbole Effect”) aided the design of a new generation of particle colliders. Professor Godbole, during her illustrious career, also served as a member of the coordination and steering committee for CERN-India.
- Godbole often criticised how academic institutional hirings and promotions favoured male candidates, failing to note the qualifications and skills possessed by women scientists.
- She was also vocal about the alleged disparity in the selection of awards and recognitions, many of which as she would point out were handed to men. She spoke about ‘hidden biases’, not just regarding women but also disadvantaged groups.
- She was also an avid supporter of women pursuing careers in science and technology, and along with Ram Ramaswamy, edited the book Lilavati’s Daughters, a collection of biographical essays on women scientists from India. Godbole had served as a member of the coordination and steering committee for CERN-India since 2015 and was also a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Union Cabinet in the 2007-2013 period.
- She was a recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri, France’s Ordre national du Mérite, and the Lifetime Achievement award by the Karnataka science and technology department.
