ROHINI KARANDIKAR

Multi-talented Associate Director applies 7 years of experience. Manages diverse areas such as science communication, education, outreach and facilitation. Excellent team leader with eye for efficiency and quality.

English, Marathi, Hindi

• Workshop for Women in Science
  Journalism
  Organized by IndiaBioscience, British Council, IISER Pune and Newton-Bhabha fund in November 2018 and January 2019.
• Writing in the Sciences
  Online Course by Stanford University

English

• R.Karandikar. RYIM Pilani: Fostering interdisciplinary research amid the winter in Rajasthan. IndiaBioscience 2024
• R.Karandikar, K.Kaushik and M.Dash. RYIM Bhubaneswar: Fostering academia-industry crosstalk IndiaBioscience, 2024
• R.Karandikar. Catching food freshness in real time: An undergraduate biology experiment. IndiaBioscience, 2023
• R.Karandikar. Anandi: Using print medium to close knowledge gaps. IndiaBioscience, 2023
• R.Karandikar. What do COVID variants mean for vaccine efficacy?, Column for First Check, DataLEADS, 2021
• R.Karandikar and B.Chemate. Simulating learning environments, Teacher Plus, Azim Premji University Press, 2021
• R.Karandikar. Science in the age of COVID19, Column for First Check, DataLEADS, 2020
• R.Karandikar and S.Sen The birth of antibiotics, iwonder magazine, Azim Premji University Press, 2020
• R.Karandikar. A 'Milky Way' to learn biology, iwonder magazine, Azim Premji University Press, 2019
• R.Karandikar. Vigyan Pratibha - An innovative learning space for middle school students, IndiaBioscience, 2019
• R.Karandikar. Science Education in Marathi at HBCSE. IndiaBioscience, 2019

• Presented a talk at Young Investigators' Meeting 2024 on iGAP: How can YIs and PDFs leverage this program? (Mar 2024)
• Presented a talk at Regional Young Investigators' Meeting Pilani on IndiaBioscience: Engaging Communities, Enabling Change (Jan 2024)
• Conducted Crafting Your Career Workshops at DBT-ILS Bhubaneswar (Dec 2023) and BITS Pilani (Jan 2024)
• Live online webinar: The Birth of Antibiotics by iwonder, Azim Premji University, (July, 2020)
• Active member of the group for promoting scientific temper in the society. Presented talks on Scientific Temper at Sadhana Vidyalaya, Sion, B.K. Birla College, Kalyan and HBCSE, Mumbai (Aug 2018-Nov 2019).
• Presented a talk on Scientific Temper: Question, Analyze, Act at Jawaharlal Nehru College, Nagpur and Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan High School, Nagpur (Aug 2019)
• Organized the event Why Whisper When We Can Talk? on the occasion of World Menstrual Hygiene Day’ on 2nd June, 2017 at HBCSE, Mumbai and presented a talk on Breaking Hesitation around Menstruation
• Represented Metabolic Engineering Lab in TechConnect at Techfest, IIT Bombay, (Jan 2011) and demonstrated bacterial metabolism of aromatics to school and college students.

• Fact-checker with DataLEADS on the project -First Check.
• Active member of the Indian Scientists’ Response to COVID-19 (ISRC) ‘Hoaxbusters team’. Wrote short articles on debunking myths and common questions related to COVID-19.
• Appeared in live call-in sessions for QnA on COVID-19 for discussion in Hindi and Marathi.
• Panelist on Misinformation in Medicine Summit 2020, organized by DataLEADS, Google News Initiative, KAS (Germany) and Australia India Institute and Judith Neilson Institute in the session on What does it take to fact-check medical misinformation?

• R. Karandikar and A. Sule (2020) How practicing science teachers amalgamate their beliefs with science? Current Science 119 (1): 26-31
• R. Karandikar and R. Shinde (2019) Students' engagement with a chapter on 'Food Preservation’ proceedings, Proceedings, epiSTEME 8: International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education
• J. Kode, N. Khattry, A. Bakshi, V. Amrutkar, B. Bagal, R. Karandikar, P. Rane, N. Fujii, and S. Chiplunkar (2017). Study of stem cell homing and self-renewal marker gene profile of ex-vivo expanded human CD34+cells manipulated with a mixture of cytokines and synthetic peptide Stromal Cell Derived Factor 1. Indian Journal of Medical Research 146:55-60
• Karandikar R, Badri A and Phale PS (2015). Biochemical characterization of inducible ‘Reductase’ component of benzoate dioxygenase and phthalate isomer dioxygenases from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PP4. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 177:318-333
• Prabhash K, Khattry N, Bakshi A, Karandikar R, Joshi A, Kannan S, Sastry PS, Parikh P, Kode JA. (2010) CD26 expression in donor stem cell harvest and its correlation with engraftment in human haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: potential predictor of early engraftment. Annals of Oncology 21(3):582-8.

Book Chapter

• Randhir Singh, Rohini Karandikar and Prashant S. Phale (2015) Microbial Degradation of Aromatic Compounds and Pesticides: Challenges and Solutions in book entitled Advances in Biodegradation and Bioremediation of Industrial Waste (CRC Press) 67-96. ISBN: 9781498700542

• Instructor at Curiosity Gym. Designed and delivered an online course on Introduction to Bioinformatics and other courses in Biology (Mar-Dec 2020).
• Resource person for Teacher training workshops as a part of Vigyan Pratibha project.
• Course co-instructor for graduate courses- Introduction to STME Research (Aug-Dec.2017 and Aug- Dec.2018) at HBCSE, TIFR.
• Course co-instructor for graduate course- Introduction to Life Science Education (Jan Apr.’18) at HBCSE, TIFR.
• Teaching assistant for Biochemistry laboratory for M.Sc. students from Jul 2009-Nov 2009.
• Teaching assistant for Microbiology laboratory for M.Sc. students, (BSBE, IITB) from Jan 2009-Apr 2009.

School teaching

• Teaching as a part of Vigyan Pratibha project - conducting field trials and students' camps.
• School teaching at Nutan Vidya Mandir as a part of School Science Research and Development -Participatory Action Research project (grades 5, 6 and 7)

Project: Vigyan Pratibha (HBCSE, TIFR)

Designed activity based learning modules- Learning Units on the following topics:

a) The Journey from Milk to Curd (grade 8)

b) The Accidental Discovery [(of penicillin, grade 9)]

c) My Food, My Choice (grade 9)

d) Learning from Raisins- a learning unit on 'Osmosis' (co-author, grade 8)

Project: School Science Research and Development (HBCSE, TIFR)

Lesson plans and worksheets in Marathi on the theme 'Food' for grades 5, 6 and 7

• Department Roll of Honour for participation in various activities from 2013-2014, Dept. of Biosciences & Bioengg., IIT Bombay
• Best Poster award at Graduate Students' Meet 10th and 11th Dec. 2011 at Tata Memorial Centre's ACTREC, Navi Mumbai
• Best Poster award at 7th Biotechnology Research Society of India Convention and International Conference on Genomic Sciences held at Madurai, 12th -14th Nov. 2010

• Prof. Aniket Sule, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai, anikets@hbcse.tifr.res.in
• Dr. Ilene Boucher, Ex-senior editor and manager at JoVE, ilene.boucher@gmail.com