BREAKING
‘We must salute his great career’: Zidane backs RonaldoMS Dhoni sings ‘Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon’ during meeting with Nitin MukeshAIFF elections: Rajeev Sharma appointed Electoral Officer ahead of December 20 pollsJantar Mantar protest: 3 journalists allege sexual misconduct by police personnelRajasthan boys retain top honours, Tamil Nadu girls defend titleKomfort użytkowania od codziennych zadań do zaawansowanych funkcji przez atefia aplikacja iOSAprilia launches SXR GT 125 and SXR GT 175 in IndiaSammy hails Hope’s leadership after West Indies’ historic India win‘Rahul Gandhi has turned into a comedian’: CM DhamiAnukul Roy joins India A squad ahead of Australia A one-day series
Business

Young researchers explore scientific leadership at IIT Hyderabad programme

hellohimachalse@gmail.com 21 Sep 2026 21 Sep 2026

The BODH (Building Opportunities & Driving Hope) initiative marked its first anniversary at IIT Hyderabad with a two-day programme focused on strengthening research, leadership and professional skills among young researchers.

The programme featured the SPARK – Skills for PhD Advancement, Research & Knowledge-Impact Workshop, organised under the ANRF–PAIR initiative. The workshop brought together 50 PhD scholars from seven participating institutions for sessions combining research skills with experiential learning in scientific leadership and knowledge impact.

The inaugural session was attended by Chandralekha Mukherjee, Principal Advisor (States), Capacity Building Commission, as Special Guest; Prof. B. S. Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad, as Guest of Honour; and Dr. Vinay Kumar of CSIR-HRDC as Special Invitee.

The anniversary programme began with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp and watering of a symbolic BODH tree, representing knowledge, leadership and collective responsibility. The BODH logo and website were also launched during the event. A partnership between the American Chemical Society and BODH was also announced as part of efforts to expand capacity-building activities. BODH focuses on developing capabilities among academicians and researchers beyond technical expertise. Its programmes address areas such as communication, collaboration, mentoring, teamwork, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, resilience and stakeholder engagement. Speaking at the programme, Prof. B. S. Murty highlighted the importance of collaboration and leadership development among young researchers. He said initiatives that bring researchers together can help build confidence and encourage collaborative approaches to scientific work.

Chandralekha Mukherjee said researchers increasingly need to communicate their work, engage with society and develop broader professional capabilities alongside scientific expertise. Dr. Vinay Kumar emphasised the role of communication, empathy, mentoring, teamwork and cross-disciplinary collaboration in developing scientific leadership. The anniversary programme also featured a panel discussion titled “From Researcher to Change-Maker: Building the Leadership Capacity of India’s Young Academic and Research Community.” The discussion examined how young researchers can develop skills needed to build research teams, communicate science, work with stakeholders and connect research with wider societal needs.

The SPARK workshop that followed focused on research advancement, scientific communication, collaboration, leadership and knowledge impact, using learning activities and practical exercises.

According to the organisers, BODH conducted more than 10 workshops during its first year, reaching over 306 participants from more than 74 institutions, including IITs, IISERs, national academies, ICAR institutes and universities.

The initiative plans to extend its capacity-building and mentoring activities to a wider range of institutions, with a focus on strengthening leadership and research skills among India’s academic and scientific community.

Related News