Ahmedabad: IIT Gandhinagar (IIT-Gn) hosted the first edition of the three-day Women Force 2026, a conclave for women scientists from across India’s premier scientific institutions, on Thursday.Organisers said that the event has six technical sessions and two panel discussions, encompassing 40 women scientists. The conference aims to recognise and celebrate the impact of women in shaping contemporary science, technology, entrepreneurship, and policy worldwide, they added. It is notable that the theme of National Science Day, celebrated annually on Feb 28, is ‘Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat’.Prof Sivapriya Kirubakaran, a faculty member at IIT-Gn and one of the organising convenors, said that the majority of the participants are mid-career experts in fields as diverse as cancer therapeutics and sustainable chemistry.“The idea is to promote interdisciplinary research, create a strong network of women scientists, and highlight the opportunities STEM offers. It is a celebration of their achievements and also an inspiration for the next generation of researchers,” she said.Hosts also said that the event will provide opportunities for early-career mentorship and highlight non-academic pathways for PhD scholars.“The discussions across the three days will converge on the understanding that gender representation is a matter of national progress. Countries at the forefront of innovation invest significantly in women’s participation in research, leadership, and entrepreneurship,” said an organiser. “India’s aspirations in deep technologies in biomedical engineering and medtech, semiconductor materials, advanced manufacturing, chemistry, artificial intelligence, climate science, and quantum tech, among others, demand more women leading scientific enterprises.”
