The Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet has cleared the name of N. Kalaiselvi, as the Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). In its 80-year history, the CSI gets its first woman Director-General.
- N. Kalaiselvi was Director of the CSIR-Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI), Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu.
- She will now lead the network of 38 laboratories and nearly 4,500 scientists, and has been appointed for two years.
- Ms. Kalaiselvi’s research interests include Lithium-ion battery and beyond lithium batteries, supercapacitors and waste-to-wealth driven electrodes and electrolytes for energy storage and electro-catalytic applications.
- From Ambasamudram village in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu to heading the CSIR as its first woman Director-General, it has been a long journey for Ms. Kalaiselvi.
- She had studied in a Tamil-medium school in the district and had gone on to pursue her Ph.D. degree from Annamalai University in Chidambaram.
- In February 2019, She was appointed Director of the Karaikudi-based Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI). This is the first time a scientist from the CECRI has been appointed Director-General of the CSIR.
