The Inspiring Parimala Raman

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Prof Parimala Raman is the only lady mathematician educated in India who is currently member of all three Indian Academy of Sciences besides winning the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award in 1987. In 2010, she was selected as the plenary speaker at the International Congress of   mathematicians. When the government of India decided to establish eleven chairs to honor women in math and sciences recently, Prof Raman is the only living person in the list.


Her early years were spent in Chennai where the love and support of her parents and teachers got her interested in math. In her undergraduate, she seriously considered majoring in Sanskrit poetry but the mathematician won that battle. It is not surprising both the fields require a lot of originality and creativity. She went on to get her doctorate at the prestigious Tata Institute of Fundamental research (TIFR). She always had excellent mentors in her early years of research and that was the sounding board which propelled her distinguished career.  Her area of research is algebra with connections to algebraic geometry and number theory. She is also well-recognized for her solution to the second Serre conjecture.

India is not known for encouraging women to pursue mathematics and therefore her accomplishments are even more admirable. She credits her academic success to her family and supportive husband.

Parimala Raman says “Math has the beauty of Poetry” and  is currently distinguished Professor of Art & Sciences  at Emory university where no doubt she will continue to inspire the next generation of women mathematicians as in India and globally.

Reference: Meet Parimala Raman, Mathematician & Fellow of All 3 Indian Academies of Science! By Vidya Raja

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