Vanaja Iyengar

Vanaja Iyengar (died 2001) was an Indian mathematician, educationist and the founder vice-chancellor of Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam, Tirupati, in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. She was one of the founders of the Andhra Mahila Sabha School of Informatics. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma Shri in 1987.

Biography Born in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, she completed her early education at Hyderabad and obtained higher education in Mathematics from Cambridge University in 1950, after which she visited Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Hungary as a part of student forums. Her career started as a member of faculty at Osmania University and worked in two of the colleges affiliated to the university, University College for Women, Koti (Osmania Women's College) and Nizam College. She was also one of the founder members of the Osmania University Teachers Association.

Awards and recognition In 1987, the Government of India awarded Iyengar the civilian honour of Padma Shri.