Bengaluru. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has announced the launch of their first HUL STEM Fellowship for women scholars pursuing their Ph.D. in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This first edition of the Fellowship, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), was awarded to five women scientists from IISc at an event held at the HUL & Unilever R&D Centre in Bengaluru. The event also saw a panel of distinguished women leaders in STEM across India, who shared their perspectives on the challenges faced by women in the field and learnings from their own journeys as inspiration to the Fellows and everyone attending the event.
The share of women in STEM and R&D careers is exceedingly low, globally. A significant number of women STEM graduates tend to opt out at a later stage, leading to a gender imbalance in the scientific community and jobs. In fact, the ratio of women in STEM related jobs in India, including the private sector is only 1 female scientist for every 6 male scientists and the representation is at a dismal 16%. Rohit Jawa, CEO & Managing Director, HUL, said, “The under-representation of women in STEM careers, is a challenge we must confront head-on. Today, in our own R&D team across three centres in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Gurugram, we have women in more than 50% of the management roles. It gives me great pleasure to announce the first cohort of five HUL Women in STEM Fellows. We believe this multi-year fellowship will serve as a catalyst for transformative change, inspiring the next generation of top Indian women scientists, engineers, and innovators.”
Through a rigorous selection process, these fellows were chosen by an independent Selection Panel comprising eminent academicians from the relevant departments at IISc. Applications were assessed based on the criteria of research proposal, research impact and academic achievements. The HUL Women in STEM Fellowship offers a financial award, benchmarked to the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) for the entire duration of the Ph.D program (five years) for the selected scholars. This can be utilized for Research Grant, Travel and attending an international conference related to their research field. Beyond the financial support during their Ph.Ds, these Fellows will also have access to senior mentors both from Unilever and from HUL’s External Ecosystem – addressing a major challenge around the lack of role models & mentorship faced by women in higher STEM education.
Prof G Rangarajan, Director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), said, “Women in STEM face many challenges, including a shortage of role models and opportunities for professional development. The HUL Women in STEM Fellowship not only recognizes the immense potential of women in STEM but also underscores the importance of creating an inclusive environment. We are grateful to HUL for their efforts to build a future where every aspiring scientist, engineer, and innovator finds the support and opportunities they need. We believe this fellowship will serve as a catalyst for positive change, inspiring the next generation of women scientists and engineers. Through targeted support, mentorship, and resources, we are confident that these researchers will go on to make groundbreaking contributions to their respective fields, ultimately enriching the landscape of STEM research and innovation.
Mediacentre.Hul@unilever.com
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