Aruna Dhathathreyan

Aruna dhathathreyan is a Professor and Emeritus scientist at CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, India. Her fields of work and research include biophysics, biophysical chemistry, and surface sciences. Inspired by the science-fiction works of Jules Verne, she chose to pursue physics as her undergraduate field of study. With few options available to her in Delhi, Dhathathreyan moved to Chennai to study physics at Women's Christian College. Development of smart leathers: incorporating scent through infusion of encapsulated lemongrass oil. (Publication, 2015).

She recently retired as Head of Department at CLRI, but continues to work with and mentor several students. Raman Research Fellowship (1999). Stree Shakti Samman Award for Best Woman Scientist, Physical Sciences (2005). Best Woman Biophysicist, Mother Teresa Women's University - Silver Jubilee Year Award (2009). INSA DFG Visiting Fellowship, Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interface Research (2010).

In addition, Dhathathreyan was elected Fellow of the Madras Science Foundation in 2011, and was among 98 scientists featured in Leelavathi's Daughters, a compendium of female scientists in India created by the Indian Science Academy, Bengaluru (2008).

Personal life Dhathathreyan married a chemist who, at the time of their marriage, was a Humboldt Fellow in Germany. She has one child, a boy named Aditya, who is an entrepreneur in Chennai.

On her hobbies, Dhathathreyan says, "I think it’s important for scientists to be aware of trends in the world. They can’t lead isolated lives." She enjoys reading fiction, listening to a wide variety of music genres, and often discusses movies and actors with her students.