Coventry University to help hundreds of Indian women scientists boost their leadership credentials

Leena Kukreja, Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor and Elena Gaura infront of colourful posters at the Women in Science Leadership Programme launch event in India

Leena Kukreja, Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor and Elena Gaura at the Women in Science Leadership Programme launch event in India

University news / Research news

Friday 27 September 2024

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Hundreds of female scientists working in areas such as space, astrophysics and telecommunications in India looking to attain leadership positions will be supported by Coventry University.

The Women in Science Leadership Programme (WiSLP) will provide training and workshops for up to 250 early career researchers looking to move up in their chosen fields.

Key factors that support women aiming for leadership positions such as challenging organisational contexts, work–life integration and career-and-life stage trajectories will make up the Coventry University-led programme.

The university will be working alongside the Indian Department of Science and Technology, the British Council and UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) and launched the programme with a national co-creation workshop in Delhi on 24 September.

The project follows on from others delivered by Coventry University globally, including previously training another 400 women working in STEM, and will also see some of the scientists trained in delivering the workshops in order to pass the training on to others in India.

Coventry University is honoured to collaborate with the British Council and India's Department of Science and Technology on this transformative leadership development initiative for women in STEM and space sciences.

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and emphasising an intersectional approach, this project will empower future female leaders, both in the UK and India, to navigate and overcome institutional challenges. Together, we are committed to advancing gender equality, enhancing scientific innovation and building strong, inclusive academic frameworks that will impact generations to come.

Elena Gaura, Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University

This transformatory project is an opportunity to make a difference at the very heart of scholarship in space and allied sciences, in India and globally. We will enable women to recognise their agency and scholarship.

Simultaneously we will encourage structural and policy change so that women's leadership is rewarded and amplified. Adapting from the traditional phrase around women's education empowering their villages, I will say that by recognising women’s scientific excellence this project will enable more inclusive scholarship for a more equal world.

Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor, Professor of the Sociology of Islam at Coventry University

Find out more about Coventry University Group's presence in India.