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Awards and honours: link

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{{short description|Indian biotechnologist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox scientist
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Manju Sharma
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| birth_date = {{birth date |1940|12|13|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = 
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| residence = India
| citizenship = Indian
| nationality = Indian
| fields = Biotechnology, plant science
| workplaces = {{ublist|[[Purdue University]]|Institute of Plant Anatomy and Cytology, Denmark|[[Forest Research Institute (India)|Forest Research Institute]]|[[Institute of Advanced Research]]}}
| patrons = Government of India, The Puri Foundation for Education in India
| education = MSc, PhD
| alma_mater = Lucknow University
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| known_for = Research and Administration in Biotechnology
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| spouse = [[Vinod Prakash Sharma]]
| children = Amit Sharma
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}}
'''Manju Sharma''' (born 13 December 1940) is an [[India]]n biotechnologist and administrator of several scientific research and policy-making bodies in India. She was most recently the president and executive director at the Indian Institute of Advanced Research in [[Gandhinagar]], Gujarat. She earlier served as the secretary, [[Department of Biotechnology]], in the Indian [[Ministry of Science and Technology]],<ref name="dbt">{{cite web|title=Creation of DBT|url=http://www.dbtindia.nic.in/about-us/creation-of-dbt/|publisher=Department of Biotechnology|access-date=30 August 2016}}</ref> and was awarded the [[Padma Bhushan]] in 2007.<ref name="indiagov">{{cite web|title=Padma Bhushan Awardees|url=http://archive.india.gov.in/myindia/padmabhushan_awards_list1.php?start=180|publisher=Government of India|access-date=30 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913184615/http://archive.india.gov.in/myindia/padmabhushan_awards_list1.php?start=180|archive-date=13 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some credit Sharma with pioneering [[biotechnology]] research in India.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Menon, M.G.K|editor1-last=Basu|editor1-first=Sandip K.|editor2-last=Batra|editor2-first=Janendra K.|editor3-last=Salunke|editor3-first=Dinakar M.|title=Deep Roots, Open Skies: New Biology in India|date=2004|chapter=Chp 2: Development of New Biology in India: Science and Relevance}}</ref> She played a significant role in establishing several institutions in the country, including the [[National Institute of Immunology, India|National Institute of Immunology]], the National Institute of Plant Genome Research, the Biomass Research Centres at [[Lucknow]] and [[Madurai]], the Plant Molecular Biology Unit in [[University of Delhi]] and the [[Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics]].<ref name="ShpIndSc">{{cite web|publisher=Indian Science Congress Association|title=The Shaping of Indian Science: Presidential Addresses Vol 3: 1982-2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G700JFQreS8C&printsec=frontcover|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref>

==Life and work==
Sharma is the granddaughter of [[Madan Mohan Malaviya]], an educationist and politician. She is married to [[Vinod Prakash Sharma]], a [[malariologist]] and [[Entomology|entomologist]]. Their son, Amit Sharma, specializes in [[Protein crystallization|protein crystallography]].<ref name="biospctrm">{{cite web|title=A Biotech Pioneer and Champion|url=http://www.biospectrumindia.com/biospecindia/news/156717/life-time-achievement|publisher=BioSpectrum India Magazine|access-date=30 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911040152/http://www.biospectrumindia.com/biospecindia/news/156717/life-time-achievement|archive-date=11 September 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Sharma graduated from [[Lucknow University]], winning the first rank and receiving the [[Birbal Sahni]] Memorial Gold Medal.<ref name="ShpIndSc" /> She earned her Ph.D. at Lucknow University in 1961 and then worked at [[Purdue University]] as a post-doctoral researcher. Collaborating with [[A. Carl Leopold]] and Richard Hall, her research on enhancing [[latex]] production through the use of ethereal oil found commercial application in Malaysian rubber plantations.<ref name="purdue">{{cite web|title=Dr. Manju Sharma|url=http://www.science.purdue.edu/Alumni/recognition/honorary_doctorates/manju-sharma.html|publisher=Purdue University|access-date=1 October 2014}}</ref>

Sharma's research on plant [[idioblasts]] led to her becoming a visiting scientist at the Institute of Plant Anatomy and Cytology, [[University of Copenhagen]].<ref name="biospctrm" /> She then joined the [[Forest Research Institute (India)|Forest Research Institute]], [[Dehra Dun]], where in researching [[woody plant]]s, she established a correlation between [[Silicon dioxide|silica]] content and the hardness of wood.<ref name="ShpIndSc" /> After moving to [[Delhi]], she became a research officer at the [[Indian Council of Medical Research]] and co-authored a monograph on Indian [[medicinal plants]].

Sharma joined the [[Department of Science and Technology (India)|Indian Department of Science and Technology]] in 1974 as a senior scientific officer. She became the senior advisor in 1990, and assumed charge as the secretary of the government body in 1996.<ref name="biospctrm" /> She was instrumental in the creation of the [[Biotech Consortium India Limited]], a [[public-private partnership]] to promote the commercialization of biotechnology research.<ref name="ShpIndSc" /> Upon the completion of her tenure, she was appointed advisor to the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2004.

Sharma founded the Indian Institute of Advanced Research in 2006,<ref name="purdue" /> helped by endowments from the Puri Foundation for Education in India, to conduct research and provide higher education in plant sciences, human health, biomolecular medicine and bioinformatics. She served as president and executive director until 2012, when the institute re-constituted itself as a university and introduced a new governance mechanism.<ref name="iiar">{{cite web|title=IIAR 2012 Annual Report|url=http://software.iiar.res.in/annualreports/annual_report2012.pdf|publisher=IIAR|access-date=31 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804095934/http://software.iiar.res.in/annualreports/annual_report2012.pdf|archive-date=4 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> When [[M. S. Swaminathan]] took initiative in introducing a chapter on science and technology for women in the [[Five-Year_Plans_of_India#Sixth_Plan_(1980%E2%80%931985)|Sixth Five-Year Plan]] (1980–85), a team led by Sharma prepared a report which was incorporated in the plan document on women and development. This was the first focused scheme on the subject, which has since been operated by the [[Department of Science and Technology (India)|Department of Science and Technology]].<ref name="National Conference on ‘Technological Empowerment of Women’">{{Cite web |url=http://nasi.org.in/Ist%20Circular-Mega%20Event-2018.pdf |title=National Conference on ‘Technological Empowerment of Women’ |date=2019-01-11 |website=National Academy of Sciences, India |access-date=2019-01-11}}</ref><ref name="A Road Map for Women in Science and Technology">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nasi.org.in/Report%20-%20Women%20in%20Science%20&%20Technology%20-A%20Vision%20Document.pdf |title=A Road Map for Women in Science and Technology |date=2019-01-11 |website=National Academy of Sciences, India |access-date=2019-01-11}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
* The Chandaben Mohanbhai Patel Industrial Research Award for Women Scientists (1991)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vasvik.org/Women's_Award.html|title=Award Winners}}</ref>
* The [[Borlaug Award]] (1995)<ref name="ucost">{{cite web|url=http://www.ucost.in/document/publication/pub/FINAL-CITATIONS.pdf|title=Science and Technology Excellence|publisher=Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref>
* The first woman president of the [[National Academy of Sciences]] (1995–96)<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Presidents|url=http://www.nasi.org.in/pastprez.htm|publisher=NASI|access-date=1 October 2014}}</ref>
* President of the [[Indian Science Congress Association]] (1999)<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Presidents|url=http://www.sciencecongress.nic.in/html/past_general_presidents.php|publisher=ISCA, India|access-date=31 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301131614/http://www.sciencecongress.nic.in/html/past_general_presidents.php|archive-date=1 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The Dr B. P. Pal Memorial Award from the Indian Science Congress Association (2001)<ref name="ucost" />
* G. M. Modi Science Award (2002)<ref name="iifa">{{cite web|url=http://www.iifaindia.org/award_gmma.html|title=G. M. Modi Award Winners|publisher=Indian Institute of Fine Arts|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref>
* [[Padma Bhushan]] (2007)
* Honorary Doctorate, Purdue University (2012)<ref name="prduprss">{{cite web|url=http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/academics/2012/1205LeonardHonorariesA.html|title=Purdue to award 7 honorary doctorates during spring commencement|publisher=Purdue University|access-date=31 August 2016}}</ref>
* Fellow, [[The World Academy of Sciences]]
* Honorary Fellow, Indian Society of Agricultural Biochemists
* The first chairperson of the [[International Council for Science]]'s Forum on Science for Women (2004)<ref name="purdue" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2000–09}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Manju}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian biologists]]
[[Category:Indian women biologists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering]]
[[Category:University of Lucknow alumni]]
[[Category:Scientists from Gujarat]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women scientists]]
[[Category:Indian academic administrators]]
[[Category:Women academic administrators]]
[[Category:Indian expatriates in the United States]]

Manju Sharma (biologist) - Revision history

imported>Nskjnv: /* Awards and honours */ link