Dr. Indra Kumari Varma :
It gives SPSI immense pleasure to institute an endowment lecture to honor Prof (Mrs.) I. K. Varma, and it will be called the Prof. Indra Kumari Varma Endowment Lecture. This lecture will be a regular feature of our biannual meetings and will kick off from MACRO 2025. The Endowment Lecturer will be an eminent and well-recognized polymer/material scientist of international standing. Special efforts will be made to identify women scientists of outstanding merit.
What an amazing career Prof. Indra Kumari Varma has had—two PhDs, one DSc, an Honorary PhD, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Chemical Council, five US Patents, guiding over 40 PhD students, and publishing over 280 research papers—all in one lifetime!
Prof. Indra Kumari Varma was born on 15th January 1939. Her contribution to the growth of polymer science in India and the training of a large set of human resources is beyond imagination. In fact, she has trained the largest number of women polymer chemists in our country. Apart from creating good quality students, she excelled in scientific research and championed the creation of the Center for Polymer Science and Technology at IIT Delhi.
Prof. I. K. Varma has been a real trailblazer. She received a gold medal in BSc in 1956 from Allahabad University. She did her MSc and DPhil from Allahabad University and PhD from Glasgow University in 1965. Later, she received a DSc degree from Glasgow University in 1986. She started her academic career at IIT Delhi in 1966 as a Lecturer in the Chemistry Department. In 1977, she became the first female professor in all the five IITs of that time.
Prof. Varma spent most of her independent teaching and research career at IIT Delhi. She excelled in various domains of polymer science and technology. Apart from numerous awards, she also held the Modi Chair Professorship, the Reliance Chair, and served as an Emeritus Professor at IIT Delhi. She has been President of The Society of Polymer Science India (SPSI) (1994-2001), President of the Indian Thermal Analysis Society (1986-1991), and Regional Editor of the Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (1986-2002).
Prof. I. K. Varma worked on leading-edge technology throughout her professional life. Her first external project at IIT Delhi was from ISRO in the 1970s. In the 1980s, she worked at NASA-Ames Research Centre at Moffett Field, California, USA for over two years on flame retardant polyimide resins and was awarded five US patents for this work. She visited the Space Shuttle Launch Pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA to explore polymer utility in high-end applications. She realized there is an immense need of the hour to replace the existing persistent commodity polymers. Therefore, later she worked on biodegradable polymers with Prof. Ann-Christine Albertsson, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden. This contribution of hers was acknowledged, and she became a recipient of the Honorary Doctorate degree from KTH in 2009. As a working woman, Prof. Varma managed her professional and personal life with ease. Here is a quote from Prof. Varma, "Life without determination has no meaning whether it's the domestic front or office." Prof I. K. Varma was well supported by her husband Prof. Dharmendra Singh Varma (1934-2021), a daughter and a son. Prof. Varma has been a role model and inspiration to generations of students and will continue to be so.
