Dr. Meera Chandrasekhar obtained her B.Sc. degree in Physics and Mathematics from M.G.M. College, Udupi in 1968; and her M.Sc. in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras in 1970.

• Dr. Chandrasekhar then went on to complete here Sc.M. and Ph. D. in Physics from Brown University, Providence, RI.

• After a post doctoral fellowship at Max-Planck-Institut in Stuttgart, W. Germany, she came to the University of Missouri, Columbia in 1978, where she is currently a Professor of Physics and Astronomy.

• Dr. Chandrasekhar’s research interests are in the area of optical spectroscopy of semiconductors, superconductors, and conjugated polymers, with an emphasis on high pressure studies.

• She has a strong interest in the education of young students, and has developed hands-on physics programs for students in grades 5-12, and summer institutes for K-12 teachers. She has received several awards for these activities.

• Dr. Chandrasekhar has accumulated honours and distinctions at every stage of this journey – from the Bronze medal and first rank in her IITM class to numerous prestigious teaching and educator awards in the U.S. – like the

o Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, State of Missouri
o Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, (PAESMEM), National Science Foundation
o IITM Distinguished Alumna Award in 2002
o Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professorship, University of Missouri
o Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching
• She has been an active member of prominent professional societies like the American Physical Society, the National Science Teachers’ Association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
• Her contribution to the domain of academia has been immense, with her never-ending list of publications and conference presentations. These contributions have been to the fields of physics as well as science education.