N. Kalaiselvi is a senior electrochemical scientist from India. She came into the limelight on August 7, 2022, when she was appointed as the first female Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CISR). She was appointed Director, CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu on February 22, 2019. She was mentioned at a media conference soon after her appointment as Director, Department of CSIR, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, that her appointment would be for a period of two years. It states,
Kaleselvi’s appointment shall be for a period of two years from the date of assuming office or until further orders, whichever is earlier. “
She has extensive experience in the field of electrochemical power systems, particularly in the development of electrode materials and the electrochemical evaluation of in-house prepared electrode materials for their suitability in the assembly of energy storage devices.
Newly appointed CSIR Director General Dr N Kalaiselvi with MoS (Science and Technology) Jitendra Singh
Wiki/Biography
N. Kalaiselvi was born in Ambasamudhram, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu. She has completed her PhD from Annamalai University, Chidambaram. N Kalaiselvi reportedly completed his education from government schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu. Her father, a teacher, raised her like a boy. During her school days, she loved playing boys’ games.
appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
Her father is a retired teacher. She has two brothers.
husband and children
She is married.
Profession
After completing his PhD from Annamalai University in Chidambaram, N Kalaiselvi started teaching organic chemistry in a private university for three years. In 1997, she started working in research at CSIR-CECRI as a junior scientist. At CSIR, N Kalaiselvi is known for his contributions to the field of lithium-ion batteries. She is known for inventing new materials for use as electrodes to increase the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries. In December 2000, N Kalaiselvi participated in the 8-ACSSI project in Singapore and Malaysia. N Kalaiselvi served as a Research Committee Member at Karunya University, PSG Institute of Technology, Sri Ramakrishna College of Engineering, Coimbatore during 2007-2009, 2011-2013 and 2013-2015; Selfaji Arts and Science College, Tanjore; and Sri. GVG Vaisalakshi College for Women, Udumalpet. In August 2007, she participated in a two-month technical discussion organized at Hanyang National University (South Korea).
Nallathamby Kalaiselvi poses at battery manufacturing factory
In 2011, Ariga Ariviyal, a monthly science magazine, appointed her as editor to promote Tamil science subjects to rural students. In 2012, she was appointed Nodal Scientist for Multifunctional Electrodes and Electrolytes for Future Technologies (MULTIFUN) and served until 2017. The National Electric Vehicle Mission was launched in 2013 under the guidance of Dr. Kalaiselvi. Gradually, she rose through the ranks to serve as director of the institute in 2019, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Following this position, she was further appointed as CSIR Theme Director for Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Resources and Devices, Chairperson and Member of the CSIR-CECRI Administrative and Technical Committee and Chairperson of the SAC CECRI (Student Academic Council). In November 2019, N Kalaiselvi participated in the CSIR-DAAD exchange program in Germany. In 2022, she was promoted to Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CISR) and concurrently served as Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Nallathamby Kalaiselvi launches new research project at CSIR
member
N Kalaiselvi is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, a member of the CSIR Program Working Group Committee on “CSIR Integrated Skills Program and Jigyasa” and a member of the Internal Quality Assurance Group of Aragappa University, Kalakudy.
Scholarship Program
In 1999, N Kalaiselvi was selected as a visiting scholar at INSA [within INDIA] This year. From 2003 to 2004, she participated in the Brain Pool Fellowship program in South Korea. In 2009-10, N Kalaiselvi was selected as the recipient of the Raman Research Fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. In 2011, she was selected for the INSA-NRF scientist exchange program and visited Changwon KERI.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
Won the Chinese Chemical Society Young Scientist Seminar Award (3 times) in 1999, 2000 and 2001. In 2006, she received Marqui’s Asian Science and Engineering Celebrity Award. In 2007, she was named one of the Top 100 Scientists of 2007 and International Scientist of the Year. In 2007, she was appointed as a reviewer for Elsevier, IOP, Wiley, RSC and ACS journals. In 2008, she was honored in the 10th anniversary special edition of Marqui’s Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. In 2011, four of her research papers were ranked among the “top 25 most cited articles” by Elsevier. In 2015, she was awarded the Materials Research Institute Medal (MRSI, Bangalore). In 2019, she was awarded the CV RAMAN MAHILA VIJNANA PURASKARA at the 12th National Congress on Women in Science held in Mysuru.
Nallathamby Kalaiselvi won the award in 2014
Facts/Trivia
- One of her former colleagues N Kalaiselvi said in a media chat that she was an ardent public speaker and during her college and initial job days, she frequently participated in various public speaking venues including All India Radio. He said,
Kalaiselvi was a very active participant and participated in several events on the local All India Radio station. This makes her a formidable public speaker. “
Narathambi Kaleselvi at public speaking conference
- When N Kalaiselvi reportedly joined CECRI in 1997, she had no background in electrochemistry and was interested in teaching. In an interview with the media, she explained that CECRI provided her with an opportunity to serve as both a teacher and a researcher. she says,
I love teaching. But, I also had a thirst for research. CECRI offers me the opportunity to do both. “
Naratambi Kaleselvi while giving a lecture at a university
- CSIR mentioned N Kalaiselvi’s research interests on its official website. These interests include lithium batteries, supercapacitors, waste-to-energy drive electrodes, energy storage electrolytes and electrocatalytic applications. Dr T Prem Kumar, a former colleague of N Kalaiselvi, said electric vehicles fascinate her. In an interview with the media, Dr. T Prem Kumar said that she is very interested in those things that require improved batteries. He said,
Electric cars…that’s something she’s very concerned about and the need for improved batteries. In addition, renewable energy sources such as wind or solar energy are more widely used. “
- She launched a rapid construction program of low-cost toilet units utilizing CSIR-CECRI technology in January 2022 in Chennai.
Kalaiselvi (in blue sari) at the inauguration of the rapid construction of low-cost toilet units using CSIR-CECRI technology in Chennai
- CSIR-CECRI (Central Electrochemical Research Institute) and Hyderabad-based Godi India have entered into a public-private partnership (PPP) to set up a lithium-ion battery manufacturing unit at Taramani in Chennai. The joint venture was launched in July 2022 under the guidance of Kalaiselvi.
Dr. Kalaiselvi, Director, CECRI; Dr. Shekhar C Mande, Former Secretary, DSIR and Former Director General, CSIR with Mahesh Godi, Founder and CEO, Godi India in July 2022
- According to the official website of CSIR, she has guided 8 research scholars to pursue doctoral degrees. As of August 2022, she has received her degree and 6 researchers are pursuing their PhDs. As of 2022, she has published more than 125 research papers and obtained 6 patents.
- Once, she revealed in a media interview that she received her school education in Tamil medium which helped her understand science subjects in her mother tongue. She added that learning subjects in her native language helped her a lot in grasping science concepts more easily in college. She remembers,
In fact, it helped me grasp science concepts quickly and I built on that when I entered college. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education