Diversity and inclusion in the recognition of excellence in teaching and research : An India Study

We analyse the gender fraction of the reward system for the recognition of excellence in research and in teaching in the Indian system where many

educational and research institutions are supported by the Government of India. Although many nationwide programmes for the inclusion of women and gender minorities at various levels of science have been initiated over the past several years, the recognition of the contributions of women at high levels is very sparse. We analyse the gender fraction of the reward system for the recognition of excellence in research and in teaching in the India system. The specific examples are drawn from some of the prestigious national level annual prizes/awards. These are the Infosys Prize, the S.S. Bhatnagar award, the Indian National Science Academy medals and prizes and the R.D. Birla prize of the Indian Physics Association (given biennially). This covers private and public bodies, as well as the government and nongovernment sector. Data for the last five years shows that a very small proportion of these awards are given to women, as compared to men. We discuss possible reasons (e.g. very few nominations) as well as suggest the potential solutions. It is important to address this aspect to attract and retain talents of all genders in science profession.

Vandana Nanal and Neelima Gupte