Product Admin Menu

Dr. Nisha Mendiratta is the new Executive Director of the Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF). She is a passionate scientist with over thirty-two years of experience in science leadership and governance, research and administration. Prior to joining IUSSTF, she served as an Advisor/Scientist G at the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, while spearheading two important scientific divisions viz Women in Science and Engineering (WISE-KIRAN) and the Climate Change Program (CCP). She spearheaded various initiatives as Head-National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), translating science Wikipedia pages into Indian languages, AWSAR- a program that helped to enhance articulation skills in young researchers, the creation of a Science Channel for national audience at Doordarshan and OTT platform, communication radio program to create awareness among rural communities, etc..

She is the Recipient of numerous prestigious accolades, including being named one of the twenty "Most Influential Women in BW Education for the Year 2023" in the country. Her vast knowledge and experience brings expertise in the fields of strategic planning, conceptualizing, and implementing scientific programs & national missions; science communication, policy interventions; capacity building; inter-ministerial cooperation; and related aspects.

She began her career as a researcher at the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Department of Space, Hyderabad, and later joined the faculty at the IIRS, Dehradun. She has also served as a senior scientific officer at the National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) with the Ministry of Earth Sciences. After joining DST, she has been instrumental in designing and implementing numerous programs including those of national significance, such as the Climate Change Mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), the WISE-KIRAN Scheme, Women Fellowship scheme, Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI), Vigyan Jyoti, science channel along with binational programs with the United States of America, UK, and Switzerland, the prestigious Full-Bright Kalam Climate Fellowship and many more.

She has represented DST in numerous international forums, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (CoP) held in Paris, Morocco, Katowice, Poland, Bonn, Germany, and Sharm-Al Sheikh, Egypt. She has edited various books and periodicals, as well as produced numerous research papers, articles, technical documents, and reports. She is recognized as a resource person and serves on several national and international committees and task forces.

Dr. Mendiratta graduated from Delhi University with a B.Sc. in Physics and an M.Sc. in Agriculture Physics from the Indian Institute of Agriculture (IARI). She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Remote Sensing from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dept of Space (DoS) and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Chemistry from Meerut University. She is the recipient of the meritorious PG fellowships in post-graduate and doctoral level at IARI.