Vidita Vaidya, a neuroscientist at TIFR, Mumbai has received the 2019 Nature mid-career achievement award for Mentoring in Science.
Vidita earned praise from former mentees for prioritising the success of their laboratory members over a publish-or-perish mentality. Sashaina Fanibunda, a former postdoc mentored by Vidita says,
Vidita’s greatest strength is that she is approachable, people drop their guard and can talk about experimental failures and challenges they face.
Moreover, students from other labs, not just Vidita’s lab, are comfortable approaching her with problems related to science, the department, women issues or simply to update her about their work.
Sashaina adds,
The ability of Vidita to tailor her mentorship to suit the needs of the mentee is an asset. She sees each person as an individual entrusted to her, to make them flourish and do well.