*1962 | India
Field: Natural Sciences | Technology
My work:
Professor of Fluid Dynamics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru
Brief description of activities:
Research in the field of fluid dynamics with a wide range of applications, spanning from geophysics to industrial applications
Rama Govindarajan
“My vision is that one day there will be no more gender-based biases in STEM fields, and that all genders and identities will be equally represented in all STEM fields.”
Did you have a clear idea of what your future would look like when you were a child?
I come from a family where, as early as the 1960s, many women worked full-time and supported their families. Some were unmarried. I grew up with the feeling that a career was mandatory, but marriage was not. But my ambitions and expectations were modest:
to find a job that I might or might not like, but that would pay the bills. When I started my bachelor’s degree at IIT Delhi, my attitude changed, and ever since then, I’ve wanted nothing more than to do something I enjoy.
Which person(s) or experience(s) had the greatest influence on your decision about what career to pursue, and why?
I would have liked to work in industry and invent and manufacture useful products. I became an academic because I didn’t find what I was looking for in that line of work. My spouse’s job kept us in Bengaluru. In the 1980s, opportunities in industry there were very limited for someone with my professional background and gender. Fortunately, despite the limited job openings in academia, I was given the opportunity to work at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.
Please tell us how your interest in your profession, field of study, or trade was sparked.
As a child, I loved everything related to mathematics. In college (IIT Delhi), I also began to take an interest in engineering subjects. A few years after college, I attended a short summer course on nonlinear dynamics taught by Professors Ramakrishna Ramaswamy and K.R. Sreenivasan, which had a lasting impact on me. My initial hesitation about pursuing a career in research turned, after this course, into an enthusiasm bordering on zeal to conduct research in this field. I had the opportunity to collaborate with Prof. Roddam Narasimha, one of the leading figures in this field. This was followed by a life in fluid dynamics.
What do you like most about your current job?
I enjoy the opportunity to work on something that deeply interests me and the chance to explore new questions over time. Sometimes I also appreciate the freedom to set aside a project that I find too boring or too difficult. I like the aspects of my work that are like solving puzzles. I enjoy the opportunity to work with young people, the chance to collaborate with people from different places and with diverse expertise, and the chance to travel to exotic locations. I cherish my good friends from various countries and with different backgrounds, and I am proud of my students.
These qualities have helped me along the way:
The ability to ask creative questions and learn the tools needed to answer them. Hard work, excellent time management skills, proficiency in mathematics, physics, and programming, as well as some writing and language skills.
If you could give young women some advice, what would it be?
Set high goals for yourself and pursue your dreams, whether in STEM fields or elsewhere. To do that, you’ll have to work hard. Make sure you master all the knowledge and skills you need, and stand up for equal treatment in every situation.
Contact information:
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