Pune’s Scientific Power Couple: Dr. Shekhar and Dr. Sharmila Mande Make IISc History as First Husband-Wife Recipients of Distinguished Alumni Award
Pune’s Scientific Power Couple: Dr. Shekhar and Dr. Sharmila Mande Make IISc History as First Husband-Wife Recipients of Distinguished Alumni Award
For Dr. Shekhar and Dr. Sharmila Mande, science has always been more than a career—it has been a shared passion that has shaped both their personal and professional lives. The Pune-based couple recently made history by becoming the first husband and wife to be honored with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru’s prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award.
Dr. Sharmila Mande, a trailblazing computational biologist and leader in bioinformatics, was recognized in 2025 as one of eight outstanding scientists to receive this esteemed accolade.
Her husband, Dr. Shekhar Mande, who served as the Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), had been awarded the honor a year earlier in 2024.
Their journey together began as classmates pursuing MSc degrees in Physics at Nagpur University, where their mutual enthusiasm for science laid the foundation for both a lifelong partnership and a shared research trajectory.
Both went on to pursue PhDs at IISc—Dr. Shekhar in Molecular Biophysics and Dr. Sharmila in Physics—completing their doctorates in 1991. Their postdoctoral research took them to institutions in the Netherlands and the United States before they returned to India, committed to advancing the nation’s scientific landscape.
Reflecting on their career journey, Dr. Sharmila noted that juggling research and parenthood came with its challenges, emphasizing the critical role of family support and the nurturing environment at IISc in their accomplishments.
In 2001, Dr. Sharmila founded and led the Bioinformatics R&D Division at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), launching one of India’s largest computational biology initiatives. She has developed nearly 100 patented algorithms, many of which are now applied in healthcare and diagnostics. Alongside her role as a senior advisor to TCS Research, she continues to contribute to academia as a visiting professor at prominent institutions.
Meanwhile, Dr. Shekhar held leadership positions at the National Centre for Cell Science in Pune and the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics in Hyderabad before ascending to the role of Director General of CSIR and Secretary of DSIR in the Government of India.
