Dr. Beas Roy, with her charm and passion, forms a striking example of the scientific woman. After completing her B.Sc. in Physics from the St. Xavier’s College in Calcutta and her M.Sc. from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, she went on to do her PhD at the Iowa State University in USA in Condensed Matter Physics. Since then, she has done Postdoctoral Research work at CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) in France for a year, worked as a Process Engineer at Intel in USA, and taught Physics at a couple of universities in the U.S. and schools in India. Now, she is a part of the IBDP faculty at Dhirubhai Ambani International School, teaching Physics at the higher level.

As far as big future plans go, Dr. Roy is not much of a planner; she believes in living in the moment and enjoying the process. Her love for logical reasoning began with her passion for Math in high school, driving her towards the Sciences. She loved the reasonable and sensible nature of the subject. “Everything in Science is so fair and well-reasoned.” Her family always supported her aspirations, and she found inspiration in three different women growing up. The first was Hellen Keller. Keller, born deaf and blind, was the perfect example of someone who overcame adversities to achieve success. The second was Madame Marie Curie, perhaps one of the most renowned names in the world of Science. Despite a financial crisis and being subject to gender-based discrimination, she went on to receive two Nobel prizes. The third source of inspiration was her mother, the most supporting and encouraging woman she has ever known. Her perseverance and ever-smiling nature continue to inspire Dr. Roy even today.

In terms of stereotypes, Dr. Roy did face some during her education and early career. However, in her two decades of education and work, she has seen the situation improve. “In the long run, these stereotypes will become extinct, so your best and only fight is with yourself; you don’t have to prove yourself to anyone but to yourself.” She is working in Science because she loves it. When asked if women bring any additional value to Science, her simple reply was “Nothing more than a man. Nothing less than a man.” The inclusion of women in Science is not based on deciding who has better capabilities or justifying anything, but on establishing that men and women stand on the same pedestal and that both deserve equal opportunity. It brings forward more inquisitive minds eager to learn, explore and discover.

Having been in Science for several years, Dr. Roy finds herself inherently attached to the field. In the future, she hopes to contribute by publishing the work she did during her research at Iowa State University in the U.S. and in France. She further desires to read more Science journals on a regular basis. Knowledge acquisition is a relay process, and so with the experiences she has gathered, she plans to prepare the next generation by helping them acquire the appropriate knowledge and skill to explore Science. The best way to contribute would be to train young minds and make them more confident and more equipped to bring in further progress. To all the students considering pursuing Science, she suggests, “Please pursue it. It is such an exciting and ever-evolving field. The intellectual liberation in the field of Science is unparalleled. If you love it, don’t worry about how well you know it or how well trained you are to study it, because although you might not have received sufficient training yet, you can always acquire the necessary skills and knowledge. For example, you might not know how to swim but with sufficient and focused training, you can learn how to. Advancement in Science is waiting for more brilliant minds, so if you love it, please pursue Science.”