This important webinar is facilitated by Prof Meena Upadhyaya OBE, PhD, FRCpath, FLSW, Emeritus Professor, Cardiff University
Where: Online – https://cardiff.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_a6YqTrrrQbCZ6WTMSFq3Ng
Cost: Free
Date: 25th November
Time: 9am – 11am GMT
Co-chairs:
Professor Meena Upadhyaya OBE, PhD – Cardiff University
Professor F. Susan Wong, FRCP, PhD - Cardiff University
Despite some progress in recent years, the imbalance of gender in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) remains a critical issue impacting education and industry.
The webinar will explore this topic, promoting gender equality in STEMM globally, fostering international networks and showcasing the success stories of women from both India and Wales.
By bringing inspiring women from India and Wales together, the webinar will inform the next generation of young women to pursue careers in these fields.
Hear from a panel of experts in the field, who will share their successes, challenges and ideas in STEMM.
Panel:
Professor F. Susan Wong, FRCP, PhD, FHEA, FLSW – Cardiff University
A New Era for Type 2 Diabetes Treatment.
Professor F. Susan Wong trained in Medicine, and also obtained her PhD from Kings College London University. She is currently Professor of Diabetes and Metabolism at Cardiff University and Honorary Consultant Physician in Diabetes at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. She has many years of research into the causes of type 1 diabetes, focusing on the role of the adaptive immune system, particularly CD8 T cells and B cells, as well as innate immunity related to the gut microbiome. She has interests in the development of immunotherapy for Type 1 diabetes, and is a member of the Type 1 Diabetes UK Immunotherapy Consortium.
Dr Ruchika Kaul-Ghanekar – Symbiosis University
Natural Products in Cancer Research.
Dr Ruchika Kaul Ghanekar (MSc Microbiology, PhD Biotechnology) has a total of 28 years research experience in the field of testing drugs for anticancer activity under academic set-ups. Established track record in drug development, testing and analysis at in vitro and in vivo models with completion of a couple of clinical studies.
The main focus of her group is to target the inflammatory pathways in cancer with natural products and investigate their effect on the modulation of players in the tumor microenvironment. Inflammation, if unregulated, can become chronic, inducing tumor initiation and malignant growth. The tumor microenvironment, which includes a complex mix of vasculature, inflammatory cells, and stromal cells is influenced by various mechanisms, including the production of cytokines, pro-inflammatory mediators, angiogenesis, and tissue remodelling. Thus, targeting inflammation in cancer would put a check on the underlying signal transduction cascades that in effect would regulate the cancer growth. This strategy would work for both cancer prevention as well as cancer therapy.
Her group has established the effective use of nutritional and natural products against breast, cervical and prostate cancer. Recently, her research group has mapped cervicovaginal microbiome between healthy controls and invasive cervical cancer women from the Indian population. She has received huge funds from various Govt. funding bodies such as DBT, DST, AYUSH, CSIR, ICMR, etc. She received the best researcher award from Bharati Vidyapeeth in 2011.
Recently she was rewarded as one of the top 5 women researchers in Symbiosis International University By SpringerbNature. She has been a recipient of DBT Postdoctoral fellowship and has one granted patent to her credit. She has guided many doctoral, postdoctoral and postgraduate students in their thesis. She had been the Scientific Advisory Committee member of Unani Medicine, Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India.
Professor Sandra Esteves – University of South Wales
Biotechnologies Delivering Circularity and Net Zero.
Sandra Esteves is a Professor in Bioprocess Technology for Resource Recovery and Associate Dean Research Innovation at the University of South Wales and directs the Wales Centre of Excellence for Anaerobic Digestion. Sandra has 25 years’ experience in biotechnology R&D and full-scale deployment, and has led over £16M R&D projects funded by the EU, UK and Welsh Governments, Innovate UK, BEIS and OFWAT. Sandra is the European Biogas Association’s Scientific Advisory Council Co-Chair and Member of the International Advisory Group for the Swedish Biogas Solutions Research Centre and supports biotechnology development internationally. She has worked with over 300 companies. Sandra’s research has focused on waste and wastewater treatment and bioconversion of gases to products i.e. energy gases, chemicals and biopolymers. Her work has included reactor design, monitoring and control.
Dr Meenakshi Bhakare – Symbiosis University
Respiratory Medicine
Dr. Meenakshi Bhakare is a Pulmonologist in Katraj, Pune and has an experience of 17 years in this field. Dr. Meenakshi Bhakare practices at Bhakare Super Speciality Hospital and Research Institute in Katraj, Pune. She completed MBBS from Rural Medical College in 2005 and MD - Pulmonary Medicine from Smt. Kashibai Navale Medical College in 2016.
She is a member of Indian Medical Association (IMA). Some of the services provided by the doctor are: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Treatment, Bullectomy, Lung Surgery, Mediastinoscopy and Lung Transplant etc.
Dr Meena Laad – Symbiosis University
Advances in Superhydrophobic Coating Technology.
Dr. Meena Laad is a Professor of Physics and the Head of the Applied Science Department at the Symbiosis Institute of Technology in Pune, a constituent of Symbiosis International Deemed University in India. With a Ph.D. in Physics and over 27 years of teaching and research experience, she specializes in Materials Science. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of novel composite thin films and coatings, intermetallic compounds, and nanolubricants. Dr. Laad has published over 70 research papers in high-impact, peer-reviewed international journals indexed in reputed databases like SCI and SCOPUS.
She has received research grants from prestigious national and international funding agencies, including the University Grants Commission, the Department of Atomic Energy Consortium for Scientific Research, the Défense Research and Development Organization, AICTE, and the UKIERI grant from the British Council. Dr. Laad holds four patents, one of which has been granted, and three are published. She has authored a book on thermoluminescence in inorganic solids, as well as contributed chapters to works published by Springer, Elsevier, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, and the Royal Chemical Society. She has been honored with the National Award for Best Researcher by the Society for Technologically Advanced Materials of India.
In addition to her academic responsibilities, Dr. Laad serves on the editorial board of reputed Journals such as Scientific Reports by Springer Nature and Digital Chemical Engineering by Elsvier..
Dr. Laad has been invited to speak as a keynote speaker, serve on technical committees, and chair sessions at various international conferences hosted by universities worldwide, including RUDN University in Moscow, Gazi University, Kocatepe University, and Dumlupinar University in Turkey, Technical University of Romania, Qatar University, and several others.
In 2020, Dr. Laad received the DUO India Professor Fellowship from the MHRD, Government of India, enabling her research at the University of Leeds, UK. She also secured the prestigious SPARC grant from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in collaboration with the University of Leeds and RUDN University in 2023. She has active research collaborations with University of Leeds, University of Birmingham, Queng Hee University, South Korea and RUDN University, Russia.
Dr Fiona Caroll – Cardiff Metropolitan University
Creating an Inclusive Computing Environment.
Dr. Fiona Carroll is a Reader at Cardiff School of Technologies (CST), with a specialisation in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). She earned her PhD in HCI in 2008 for Edinburgh Napier University. Over the course of her career, Dr. Carroll has successfully secured over £2 million in research and innovation funding, and her scholarly contributions include more than ninety peer-reviewed publications. In 2024, Dr. Carroll was honoured as a National Teaching Fellow (NTF) and recognised as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, reflecting her commitment to excellence in education. She currently serves as the Ethics Committee Chair at CST and leads the Creative Computing Research Centre (CCRC). She is passionate about fostering diversity and inclusivity in IT, and has actively worked to engage young people, particularly girls, in STEM.
Co-chair:
Professor Meena Upadhyaya OBE, PHD
Meena Upadhyaya is a Professor Emerita at Cardiff University, an Honorary Professor of Practice at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, and a Visiting Professor at Gangaram Medical School, Institute of Genetics and Medical Genomics, Delhi, India.
Professor Upadhyaya has authored over 200 research papers and 26 scientific book chapters and has served as the editor for five scholarly books. She has mentored and supervised numerous undergraduate, PhD, and MD students throughout her career.
A Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and the Learned Society of Wales, she is an active Council member of these esteemed institutions. Additionally, she has served on the Editorial Boards of several prominent scientific and medical journals and is the International Advisor for rare diseases in India.
A recognised leader in her field, Professor Upadhyaya has collaborated extensively with top clinicians and scientists worldwide and has been invited to speak at more than 70 international conferences.
Leadership and Service In addition to her academic achievements, Professor Upadhyaya has held several key leadership roles. She was a Non-executive Director on the Civil Service Board, Welsh Government (2020–2024) and is a Trustee of several organisations, including the Learned Society of Wales. Professor Upadhyaya’s groundbreaking contributions to science, education, and community service have earned her numerous accolades. With an exceptional career dedicated to advancing medical genetics, supporting ethnic minority communities, and promoting diversity and inclusion, Professor Upadhyaya continues to inspire future generations of leaders, scientists, educators and communities.
You can read more about Meena Upadhyaya here: Pioneering scientist from India who overcame tragedy is ‘so grateful to Wales’ | Wales
