HUL launches second edition of 'Women in STEM' fellowship

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) today announced that it has awarded financial grants to 10 women Fellows pursuing doctoral research in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as part of its Women in STEM fellowship. The chosen Fellows are pursuing doctoral research in the areas of Climate Action & Sustainability and Health & Hygiene.

In its second year, the Women in STEM fellowship aims to create a conducive environment for women to pursue fulfilling STEM careers by providing them with financial aid and mentorship opportunities with senior leaders from HUL and the external academic ecosystem.

The women Fellows from three premier academic institutions in the country - IISc Bangalore; Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) and National Centre for Biological Sciences-Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCBS-TIFR) - will be provided a financial grant for a duration of five years.

The Fellows were felicitated at an event held at HUL's R&D campus in Bangalore. Celebrated women scientists, including Dr Sharmila Mande, Dr G Taru Sharma, Dr Dheepa Srinivasan, Dr Uma Ramakrishnan and Dr Sapna Poti were also present at the session and engaged in a discussion on what can be done to further bridge the gender gap in STEM, drawing from their own experiences.

Richard Slater, Unilever's Chief R&D Officer, and Rebecca Marmot, Unilever's Chief Sustainability Officer, presided over the event.

Richard, in his keynote address, said, "India holds a pivotal place in Unilever's global R&D agenda. The partnership with India's top academic institutes that we have established here is crucial in promoting and driving the participation of women in STEM fields. We are 100% gender balanced in R&D in India, which is a testament to our unwavering commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce."

Dr Vibhav Sanzgiri, Executive Director for R&D HUL said, "When we launched the HUL Women in STEM Fellowship last year, our vision was to bridge the gender gap in STEM. Achieving gender balance within our organisation inspired us to create a supportive environment for women across the country to pursue successful STEM careers, which was the genesis of this Fellowship. I feel extremely proud for the programme to be bigger and better in its second year".