Dr Kalaiselvi N becomes 1st Woman to lead CSIR - India’s Largest Research Organization

Dr Kalaiselvi N become CSIR Director:

Breaking the glass ceiling, Dr Kalaiselvi N has become the 1st Woman Director-General of CSIR. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is India’s largest research organization and is run as the board of 38 state-run research institutes across the nation . Dr Kalaiselvi will be replace and succeed Shekhar Mande, who was useless  in April. She will be take over CSIR from Mr Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology who was accorded special additional charge of CSIR in April. This is the first time in its history of 80 years that CSIR has appointed a woman Director-General.  

— CSIR (@CSIR_IND) August 6, 2022

This is not the first time that Dr Kalaiselvi is in news for breaking the glass ceiling. Prior to taking over as CSIR’s 1st Woman Director, she had as well as  first woman director of the CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute at Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu. In her role as the Director-General of CSIR, she will be lead the network of 38 laboratories and closely 4,500 scientists for a time of two years.  

Research Work

Dr Kalaiselvi is known for her work on lithium-ion batteries. During her tenure at CSIR-CECRI, she focused on electrochemical power method and growthof electrode materials. Her latest research scheme involves growth of “practically viable Sodium-ion/Lithium-sulfur batteries and Supercapacitors”. She has as well as participated in implementation of multiple scheme around e-mobility in India since 2015.  

Academic Laurels

Dr Kalaiselvi belongs to Ambasamudhram, a small city-town based in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district. During her childhood, she attended Tamil-medium school, and that  many more consider to be a hindrance in their action in the scientific domains; she found it to be a positive give factor. Her schooling in Tamil Medium support her lay a strong base of sciences while enabling her to quicky grasp complex scientific concepts.  

On academic front, Dr Kalaiselvi total her PhD in Chemistry and was working as a professor ahead  joining CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI). During her tenure from 1999 to 2019, she has won multiple laurels, fellowships involve bagging the‘Young Scientist Seminar Award’ of CECRI thrice.She was as well as awarded an Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Visiting fellowship in 1999. She has produce over 125 research papers and holds six patents.