A talk with Dr. Shiva Shankari M. | Alumni VIT Vellore

Dr. Shiva Shankari M. 

Profile :

B Tech Biotech 

Science - Research Scientist (MIT, USA)

Awards, Extra-Curricular

Experience - Teaching in India and abroad


The e-session was hosted by VIT, Vellore as part of the alumni interact session for the current students. 

Host for the session - Valukani K. (Alumni of VIT)

Current Alumni Officer of VIT - Mr. Krishnakumar


Carving a Career in BioScience Research 

  • Ms. Shiva Shankari discussed her journey. 
  • She explained to the students in the session how to prepare themselves as Undergraduates.
  • She further discussed the things to focus on Application Packet - Timeline.
  • How is the Doctoral Study in the USA?
  • Career Options in Science


Schooling - 

Ms. Shiva Shankari belonged to a middle - class family. As a child, she got the opportunity to present her Science Project as part of the National Science Congress. From there, she understood the importance of extracurricular activities. She understood how to look beyond the periphery. This exposure made her realize to never leave an opportunity untouched. 


College -

Ms. Shiva was an Undergraduate from VIT, Vellore pursuing her B Tech in BioTech.


The factors that influenced to pursue her B Tech - Her interest in BioScience


Challenges in First Year of Undergraduate - 

She had very smart classmates. They easily understood the topics as compared to Dr. Shiva.

So, to overcome that problem, Ms. Shiva took full help from VIT Library which provided her with good resources. 

She shared her experience in the college fest "Rivera", she took part in the Singing competitions and activities (Antakshari).


GATE - 

Dr. Shiva did her Master's from India. She said that Chemistry is very important. She understood this. That helped her paved the way to pursue her Ph.D. as a BioScience Researcher.


Post-college completion - 

She got placed in a top firm but she wanted to pursue her career in research. This was a decision taking time for her. 


GATE Scholarship - 

  • Her scholarship was less.
  • She took up research as a career.
  • Helped her to become independent.
  • She became financially independent. 
  • The scholarship did not give her immediately enough funds. 

M Tech (Anna University, Chennai):

Dr. Shiva emphasized doing a maximum number of projects which would help the students to boost their CV.

GRE - Dr. Shiva said that admissions in Universities outside India, no longer depend solely on GRE.

Teaching Job - Venkateshwara College of Engineering
Lecturer at SVCE, Sriper cumbudur

Application Packet -
  • CV
  • Statement of Purpose - For at least a span of 2 months, the students need to circulate it to as many people as possible.
  • Reference Letters 
          In the Cover Letters, we need to mention the challenges in projects, 


Doctoral Studies in Biochemistry - 
University at Buffalo, New York, USA

  • Gave full funding to her.
  • She emphasized that before applying we should what departments are available in that college.
  • We need to find out what research is being done there.
  • Independent Projects need to be taken up. 
  • We need to take part in Extracurricular as well.
  • Work-Life Balance must be maintained.

MIT -
  • Dr. Shiva attended the conferences there.
  • She understood that networking is important.



Why Science ??

On being asked why she took up Science and Research as her CAREER option, Dr. Shiva explained that she took up Science because Research gave her Creative freedom.




Overview of Science Careers - 

  1. Research and Teaching as Faculty
  2. Teaching Faculty
  3. Science Entrepreneurs
  4. Industry Jobs
  5. Science Administration
  6. Science Policy 
  7. Patent Law
  8. Science Journalism
  9. Startups
  10. Many courses can be taken up to enhance our career in Science

Dr. Shiva further gave us insights about J1 - VISA, Bio-Informatics, Data Science, Molecular Biology. She explained about Fellowships of the USA for Post- Doc:
  • James Owens Foundation
  • IIE - SRF Fellowship 
  • Helen Foundation Scholarships
  • American Heart Association  






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