Nandita Jayaraj

Been thinking about what it's like to function in an institute in the close aftermath of a student's suicide. I have been there, but it was the 2000s & there was 0 discourse back then. Have things changed? Feel free to DM if you would like to share.

India in top 10 at International Mathematical Olympiad 2025, but all-male team 4th year in a row.
Observations from at male:female ratios from #IMO2025 teams
50:50→Cyprus|Cuba|Honduras|UAE|Botswana
2/3→ElSalvador|PuertoRico
2/6→Australia|UK|Slovenia|Costa Rica|Rwanda|Bhutan

All Moungi Bawendi cared about as a postdoc was how a material’s properties evolve as it progresses from a few atoms to bulk. What happens in the middle? “My curiosity wasn’t motivated by anything visionary. We just really wanted to know!”✍🏾#LINO25 www.lindau-nobel.org/blog-antibod...

Yesterday, Nobel laureate Gregory Winter described the moment he realised commercialisation was needed if his humanised antibodies were to benefit the broader public, but he did not expect to become embroiled in a patent battle. First report from #LINO25 www.lindau-nobel.org/blog-antibod...

Super lucky to be back at the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate #LINO25, this time as a blogger. My 1st assignment was to write a combined report of two lectures by Chemistry laureates.
1. Moungi Bawendi (quantum dots, 2023)
2. Gregory Winter (antibody pharmaceuticals, 2018)

Biocontrol agents as a solution for invasive species Twenty years ago, a rust fungus was shipped in from Trinidad and tested for its ability to control India’s ‘mile-a-minute’ weed invasion.

Recently I learnt abt the 🔺&🔻in our history of "bio" controlling invasive species. We've come a long way since the mongoose disaster. Time to lay down toxic sprays & give classical biocontrol a fair chance?https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/biocontrol-agents-as-a-solution-for-invasive-species/

Dig, Build, Learn: How we Built an Augmented Reality Sandbox The sandbox, built by Bipin C, became one of the biggest hits at the Mountains of Life festival

Tens of thousands of school kids were mesmerised by an AR sandbox set up for play at the Azim Premji Uni campus recently. I caught up with Bipin, the remote sensing researcher who built it.
What a way to learn geography!
azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/dig-build-le...

Dealing with nature’s unwelcome guests Last month, the country’s leading experts on bioinvasion united for a unique meeting to devise ways to combat the scourge of invasive alien species, reports Nandita Jayaraj.

🌸Last month, the country’s leading experts on bioinvasion gathered for a unique meeting to devise ways to combat the scourge of invasive alien species. My report on the meeting here: azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/news/2025/de...

🌋A scheme and an institute in its wake.
We need many more follow-ups, and more critical reviews of the schemes that have been launched in our STEM institutes. This one is on the supernumerary scheme. (Part of
@labhopping.bsky.social #HumanIITies series)

We had an insightful February planning this special series for March. Follow off! #HumanIITies

It's the International Day for Women & Girls in Science!
Wish we had a calendar to share with you. But hey, the 5th issue of💡Lightbulbs, our new newsletter, is out soon. Subscribe for monthly short, snappy updates from Indian STEM in your inbox✨
🔗http://eepurl.com/dsDZJb

Really fortunate to be able to spend time on this in 2025 😃

Our science ecosystem is full of complex stories like this. So many women in science feel indebted to their father/husband for their support. It's heartwarming to hear but I still resist valourising men for what I think is the bare minimum. So challenging sometimes to reconcile diff realities. (n/n)

'I started getting more involved in drawing, other social and voluntary activities... It took me that long but today I know this was for the best'. She was a masters student at the time of marriage. She said that today her husband is her PhD student daughter's biggest cheerleader 🙃(3/n)

& that meant no question of her taking up a job. 'At the time I couldnt fathom the idea of not working. I was depressed & angry for 7 years. Then I had a realisation from within that my real happiness lay in the success of my husband and daughter... (2/n)

While chatting with the wife of a popular retd prof recently, I asked her if she too was in academia. 'Yeah right' she scoffed (tr from Malayalam) & proceeded to good-humouredly tell me how she was clearly informed at the time of marriage that prof could have no distractions from his work (1/n)

The story also includes some lovely tidbits about how Mansi Mungee tumbled into the world of moths & even starred in a spectacular movie about these creatures. I'm determined to watch the film somehow, soon.

🐞A new story that stems from my part-time avatar of pesky in-house science reporter at Azim Premji University.
Ecologists Mansi Mungee & Divya Uma talk about how they are channeling their apprehensions about the ongoing insect decline crisis.
azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/faculty-rese...

Same feelings! Wish it came out so articulately on stage though. Thanks @polybiotique.bsky.social for sharing

Why weren’t you in the audience to back me :’)

Makes sense

Wasnt trying to be tongue in cheek! Genuinely wondering if my jadedness has made me inconsiderate 😅

He suggested that we should project men as part of the solution rather than the ones to blame.
My first instinct was to roll my eyes, but i donno anymore. Should we be more sensitive of male scientists’ feelings? 😌

Spoke at a TedX style event at a tech institute in Bangalore today. After my talk on the gender gap in Indian STEM, an audience member chimed in saying that maybe men aren’t so involved in Women in Science dialogues because these are places were they will be blamed (1/n)

Have done a few Malayalam interviews as part of my scicomm over the years and it always gives me a thrill as I am able to envision a future where I am properly biliterate.
Transcribing is a pleasurably painful activity though :)

Nice! Been wanting to see this story from indian pov. Will read soon.

Thank you:)

YouTube video by Grasshopper Film Nocturnes | Official Trailer

Been working on a story on insect decline & it's all looking rather grim. Feel wistful & foolish abt all the years I wasted being afraid of insects. Especially after watching rewatching the trailer of this documentary.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7M7...

If it's not too late, can you add me (& if it fits @labhopping.bsky.social ) to the pack too, Venkat? Thanks

Don't know where to start with this 😵‍💫