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Renowned physicist, gender equity proponent Rohini Godbole dies at 71
Apart from her work in academics, Godbole was also a much sought-after communicator of science, often delivering talks to young students, scholars and scientists on everything physics
Professor Rohini Godbole, a well-known physicist and Padma Shri recipient, passed away on Friday in Bengaluru at the age of 72 after a short illness. She was among the prominent voices advocating equal opportunities for women in the field of science.
She did her schooling at Huzurpaga School in Pune and later studied at IIT Bombay and Stony Brook University in New York. She was professor at the Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
She researched elementary particle physics field theory and phenomenology.
Godbole has highlighted that the standard model for fundamental particles is not enough, and scientists must develop a completely new science to explain the existence of antimatter.
She was among the members who submitted the report titled ‘INSA Report: Access of Indian Women to Careers in Science’, a first-of-its-kind document that dealt with issues that Indian women faced while pursuing science in college and later as a career.
“Godbole was an outstanding physicist, and she contributed to the field at the international level. She had proposed some accelerator design at CERN laboratory in Geneva in Switzerland and the accelerator was made according to the design,” said Dilip S Joag, former professor, department of physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).
“She was also an excellent speaker, and she would explain any topic in a way that even graduate or postgraduate level students of science could understand the subject. Through the several articles she has advocated that women participation should be more in science,’’ he added.
Apart from her work in academics, Godbole was also a much sought-after communicator of science, often delivering talks to young students, scholars and scientists on everything physics.
She was also an avid supporter of women pursuing careers in science and technology, and along with Ram Ramaswamy, edited the book Lilavati’s Daughters, a collection of biographical essays on women scientists from India.
For her contribution to the field of science, she was honoured with various prestigious awards including the Padma Shri award in 2019. The French government awarded her the National Medal of Merit in 2021.
