Resilience and representation in research: In conversation with Mayurika Lahiri

During a conversation with Mayurika Lahiri, Associate Professor of Biology at IISER Pune, as she shared about geographic transitions, systemic challenges for women in science, and finding ​‘her tribe’, we saw a career path with adaptability and determination to speak up for herself and for her community. From training in the UK and the USA to establishing her research lab in Pune, Mayurika’s story underscores that considerable personal strength is required to navigate systemic and cultural challenges.

Marked by both transcontinental moves and institutional transitions, Mayurika’s story reveals how personal conviction can evolve alongside professional growth.

Navigating transitions across continents

Mayurika traces her academic beginnings to her master’s degree, completed in 1997, and her PhD, which she earned between 1998 and 2001 in the UK. Having grown up partly in England, where her parents, both doctors, studied, this move felt natural. ​“That wasn’t a huge jump for me. I had already lived in England during my early education”, she says.

The bigger leap came with her postdoctoral years in the USA. Initially sceptical about moving, she chose Boston to be with her partner, who had secured a position at Harvard Medical School. She joined Tufts University in a woman PI’s newly established lab, becoming her first postdoc.​“That experience gave me a lot of training, not just in research but also in managing a lab, mentoring undergraduates, and handling lab logistics”.

Later, she moved to the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, where the culture was strikingly different, entirely postdoc-driven and without graduate students.

Looking back, she says the move to the US turned out smoother than she expected. ​“Boston felt very much like England in many ways. I adjusted easily, enjoyed my work, and built lasting networks and friendships”.

Yet, while international experiences helped her grow as a scientist, they also set the stage for the toughest transition, coming back home.

Returning to India: Building systems, breaking hierarchies

The real challenge, she recalls, was returning to India in 2007. ​“I had never worked in India and found the bureaucracy overwhelming. However, having mentors like Shashi (LS Shashidhara) really helped”. Practical lessons, such as learning to set up a cell culture facility, manage purchases, and work with administration, became essential survival skills.

One piece of advice stayed with her: never make an enemy of the administrative staff. At IISER Pune, she consciously broke hierarchies. ​“Rather than summoning staff, I would go to their offices myself”, she says. This approach, grounded in respect, helped her create a collaborative environment within the institution. These adjustments not only helped her settle in but also shaped her approach as a mentor to newer faculty.

“You cannot remain quiet”

Staying candid about personal and systemic struggles, Mayurika says that when faced with situations like inappropriate behaviour, administrative biases, or even medical negligence, silence is not an option. She chose to confront them directly.​“For me, it’s not just about my own case; I raise these issues for the larger community”. Her courage to speak out became a defining element of her leadership, one that inspired others to do the same. This insistence on speaking up had ripple effects, but colleagues and staff later thanked her for voicing concerns they themselves felt powerless to raise.

Finding community in networks

Networking, Mayurika stresses, was central to her journey. Her first YIM meeting in 2009 in Kerala helped her build connections within the Indian science community, many of which grew into lasting collaborations and friendships. Almost a decade later, at the 2018 meeting, she returned to the YIM alumni meet. She is now a mentor at YIM 2026.

That meeting marked a turning point: for the first time, sexual harassment in academia was openly discussed. ​“When Shubha (Shubha Tole) asked how many had experienced harassment, almost the whole room raised their hands. It was a stark moment that showed how pervasive the problem is”. For Mayurika, such conversations must be confronted directly, without excuses. ​“Sometimes people excuse inappropriate behaviour by saying, ​‘Oh, abroad it’s normal to hug students.’ But that’s not acceptable anywhere, not in India, not even in the US. Consent matters”.

Mayurika found strength in experiences shared at these collective spaces, realising that advocacy in science must also be communal.

Advice for the next generation

As a cancer biologist, Mayurika believes women in science must cultivate confidence and visibility. ​“Networking is very important. Conferences help you become visible, and visibility leads to opportunities. Don’t hold back from putting yourself forward”. She also urges women to be assertive with their work. 

If you believe in your science, don’t accept dismissive comments or meekly respond to reviews. Write rebuttals with confidence”.

On balancing family and career, she is clear-eyed about the guilt many women face. ​“I myself have faced guilt, sometimes imposed by family members, about leaving my daughter for work or travel. But I have also seen that it makes children stronger, more independent, and respectful”.

At IISER, Mayurika advocated for policies that benefit everyone. This included no late evening or weekend meetings, as well as childcare support, regardless of gender.​“These changes help build a fairer workplace”, she reflects. Her advice to young women scientists is simple yet powerful: 

Don’t feel guilty, don’t be meek, make yourself visible, and build networks. You can excel in both career and family life; it’s tough, but possible”.

In essence, her perspective bridges the personal and institutional, showing how individual choices can spark systemic change.

How POWERBio came up

Mayurika strongly believes that measures to improve women’s representation must move beyond tokenism. It is this conviction that ties her to POWERBio. Multiple conversations with peers facing similar struggles led her to this collective. ​“We realised we were often fighting the same battles, only in silos. POWERBio gave us a platform to turn those isolated experiences into collective action”, she recalls.

In many ways, POWERBio represents the culmination of her journey, a coming together of the resilience, mentorship, and advocacy that have defined her path. Her words reflect the same resolve that has shaped her career, a reminder that resilience in science often lies in the everyday choices to persist, speak out, and support others along the way.