65 yrs on, CSIR-CECRI gets its first woman director from Tamil Nadu

Madurai: Dr N Kalaiselvi, a scientist from Tamil Nadu has become the first woman director of CSIR-CECRI (Central Electrochemical Research Institute) at Karaikudi in Sivaganga district in more than 65 years of the central government institution’s existence.

Kalaiselvi, hailing from a small town in Tirunelveli district joined the institute over more than two decades ago as an entry-level scientist in the advanced batteries division and grew up the ranks to become the 12th director of the institution.

She assumed charge on February 22.

CECRI is one of the 38 labs under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and is dedicated for electrochemical research in the country.

Scientists of the institute primarily focus on all facets of electrochemical science and technology and also on corrosion science. Recently, the institute had announced that scientists had developed less polluting ‘green crackers’.

As far as Kalaiselvi is concerned, her work at CECRI all along has been in lithium batteries division. “Today, we cannot imagine a life without mobile phones and many of the appliances are remote controlled. However, the batteries we use in phones and remote are manufactured in other countries. We are creating an indigenous battery technology to meet demands in and outside the country,” Kalaiselvi said.

On becoming the first female director of the institute, the 52 year old said that she is grateful to CECRI for helping her grow in all aspects and providing an environment for her to flourish. After her doctorate in Chemistry, she was working as a professor for three years before joining CECRI. “I loved teaching. But, I was also aching for research. CECRI provided me an opportunity to do both,” Kalaiselvi said. The institute has been offering a B.Tech course in chemical and electrochemical engineering since 1988.

However, she conceded that not much has changed in the intake of female scientists from the time she joined in 1997. “When I joined, the ration was 1: 10 and it has been the case until two years ago,” Kalaiselvi said. There are about 120 scientists working at CECRI.

Acknowledging that societal impediments are a hurdle for women, Kalaiselvi said that she had a strong support system growing up and subsequently, when she got married, which helped her. Youngest among three children, her parents, she says, have never discouraged her from pursuing her interests and gave as much freedom and independence as they gave her two elder brothers.

“Science does not discriminate on gender. I must say I was blessed with a good support system. While I cannot influence the intake of female scientists, I would definitely encourage more female research scholars to finish their PhDs” Kalaiselvi said.

Growing up at Ambasamudhram, Kalaiselvi did her schooling in Tamil medium. She said that learning science in her mother tongue has never been an impediment. “In fact, it has helped me in quick grasping of science concepts and I built on that foundation when I joined college,” Kalaiselvi recalled.

A recipient of the ‘Most Inspiring Woman Scientist’ award, Kalaiselvi is also keen on spreading the joy of science and has been the editor of ‘Ariga Ariviyal’ - a monthly magazine in Tamil that explains scientific concepts, since 2011.