Alumni
Neelam Roy Women in Biological Sciences Research Award
Kunal and Neelam Roy • Biological Sciences Division • Ongoing
About
This award has been instituted by Mr Kunal Roy, an alumnus from the batch of B.E (Met) IISc (1969-72) & his wife Mrs Neelam Roy.
Eligibility
- Female Ph.D. scholars within the Biological Sciences division who are in the last year of their doctoral program.
- This award recognizes outstanding academic research achievement in various fields of Biology.
Entitlements
This annual award, consists of a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000/- and citation to the awardee. The award ceremony will be held every year, on August 23rd.
Winners
2025 Debanjali Bhattacharya
Debanjali Bhattacharya has been awarded the Neelam Roy “Women in Biological Sciences” Research Award 2025 for deciphering molecular mechanisms whereby mammalian cells respond to DNA replication stress, an important driver of genome instability and tumorigenesis.
These studies reveal how replication forks are protected and repaired when they stall due to stress. The findings have critical implications for the study of the progression of cancer and rare genetic disorders.
2024 Priyanka Gupta
Awarded the Neelam Roy “Women in Biological Sciences” Research Award 2024 for her ongoing PhD thesis work that builds upon her initial training in medicine. Priyanka’s studies provide vital clues on how rapid eye movements influence visual ability and allow for a deeper understanding of neurological mechanisms that decouple attention from eye movements. Read more.
Application Details
Important Notes:
- Only women PhD scholars in the Division of Biological Sciences in the final year of their PhD program (before submission of thesis as on July 15) are eligible for this award.
- Prior recipients are not eligible to apply in the present year. However, you can still reapply if you are not a past recipient of this award.
Please fill out the form here. Deadline: 20 July 2026.
The form requires a document upload and a video link upload. The single merged document must include:
- Mandatory: An abstract (maximum of 500 words) describing the key technical or professional accomplishment.
Mandatory: A 2-page C.V. of the nominee including mobile number and email address. - Mandatory: A list of pre-prints/publications (first/co-first author) in journals and conferences to support the nomination, along with citations if any. (DOI of the articles is mandatory to be included; accepted articles should carry manuscript numbers) [If there is any patent application, please include those details].
- Optional: Recommendation letter from supervisor, where in it is strongly suggested that the accomplishments (past and ongoing) are mentioned in brief. Please share this link with them to submit the letter: Letter of Recommendation Submission Form (Advisor Use Only) – Fill out form
- Mandatory: Please record a brief 2-3 min video explaining the research work done by you. Ensure that your video is well made and includes relevant details about your research work; like the overall aim, current progress, challenges to the proposed research work and so on. Avoid simply converting any ppt presentations into a video. Please upload this onto Youtube as an unlisted link or onto your Google Drive/One Drive with the appropriate viewing rights and submit it in the form.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. My registration has been cancelled but I am working full time for my PhD. Am I eligible?
Yes. A note of affirmation from the supervisor and Department Chair is necessary in such cases. This should certify that the student in working full time in the lab/ Department towards completion of the research objectives.
2. Does CGPA have a bearing on the selection?
The award is for overall excellence. All information in the nomination will be considered.
Neelam Roy
Neelam Roy was born and raised in Kanpur, India and did her M.Sc in Biology from Lucknow University. She came to the USA in 1974 and worked in various companies but found most satisfaction in teaching children with autism in schools. She spent most of her life raising her two daughters. She has been very active with various charity organizations, supporting and volunteering in many institutions.
Neelam Roy has supported and promoted women’s roles in life through her charity work in San Diego. She volunteered in “SAHARA (South Asian Helpline and Referral Agency), a Los Angeles based organization for women’s causes. Because of her Biological Science background she has worked in Scripps Aquarium and Scripps Research in medicine as a community member in San Diego.