Dr. Shantoo Gurnani was a very important founder member of IWSA. Late Dr.Shantoo Gurnani played a pivotal role in laying the strong foundations along with other founder members. In addition to being a renowned scientist, she initiated several science programs at IWSA – essentially empowering women at all levels. Dr. Gurnani was the Founder president of IWSA from 1973 to 1975.

Dr. Gurnani has instituted a number of scholarships at IWSA to encourage girl students pursuing science education at Graduate & Post-graduate levels. She has also instituted travel support to young women participants to attend IWSA conferences, a Best paper presentation award at IWSA conferences, Best Innovative S&T research by a woman, etc.

As a child, Dr. Gurnani had come to India with her family during partition and had gone through a very tough childhood. But she was determined to pursue a career in science and persevered to become one of the leading scientists of her time. She completed MSc from St. Xavier’s college, University of Mumbai and joined Indian Cancer Research Centre (ICRC) in 1952.  She completed PhD from University of Illinois, US in 1960 in Biochemistry. After a few interim positions, she worked in the CSIR- Regional Research Laboratory, Hyderabad during 1963-1970 in the laboratory of Dr. P.M Bhargava on lysozymes. Dr. Gurnani spent one year at the Chester Beatty Institute in London where she learnt flash photolysis techniques to study enzyme kinetics. She thereafter joined BARC and took voluntary retirement in 1984.  At BARC she was in the Biochemistry and Food Technology Division and worked on structure and function of enzymes and their kinetics with focus on lysozymes from rat tissues. She was heading one of the sections of Biochemistry. After retirement, she joined the Chinmaya mission where she served till, she passed away. She was a mother figure to many young women scientists in those days.