She made history as the first female Director-General of India’s largest research organization, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), for her expertise in electrochemical science, particularly in lithium-ion batteries.
This is the first time in its history of 80 years that CSIR has appointed a woman Director-General. This story is about @Dr. Kalaiselvi N, who will lead the network of 38 laboratories and nearly 4,500 scientists for a period of two years.
Kalaiselvi was born in a small city called Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Her interest in science blossomed during this time, and she pursued it passionately.
She attained her entire education from the excellent government schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu. She completed her Ph.D. from @Annamalai University in Chidambaram.
Commencing her career as an entry-level scientist, she has now amassed an impressive 25-year career in the field of science.
In 1997, Kalaiselvi joined CECRI, gradually ascending the ranks to achieve a remarkable milestone in 2019 when she became the director, marking a historic achievement for a female scientist.
Interestingly, before joining CECRI, she had no prior experience in electrochemistry. She was originally an organic chemist who taught the subject at a private college for nearly three years.
Her primary focus revolves around electrochemical power systems, with a particular emphasis on developing electrode materials and evaluating in-house manufactured electrode materials for their suitability in energy storage devices.
Her research interests extend to lithium and beyond lithium batteries, supercapacitors, and electrodes and electrolytes for energy storage and electrocatalytic applications.
When life without mobile phones and remote-controlled appliances is unimaginable, the relevance of lithium-ion batteries is paramount. During that period, India imported large quantities and parts of the batteries from other countries.
Presently, Kalaiselvi is engaged in projects related to the advancement of Sodium-ion/Lithium-sulfur batteries and supercapacitors.
Kalaiselvi has been a guiding mentor to eight research scholars who successfully obtained their PhDs under her guidance.
Her exceptional contributions have earned her multiple prestigious fellowships and awards.
In 2011, she was chosen to participate in the INSA-NRF Scientist Exchange Program, affording her the opportunity to visit the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI).
Her accolades include being honored with the Materials Research Society Medal in 2015, and in 2019, she was bestowed with the C.V. Raman Mahila Vijnana Puraskara.
Follow @SciAstra for your daily dose of inspiration and share this to help us in our mission to build scientists of tomorrow!
