TIFR neuroscientist first from developing world to head global neuroscience body

MUMBAI: Shubha Tole, neuroscientist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), is set to head the International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO), making her the first president to be elected from a developing country.

On Tuesday, the IBRO governing council representing 69 scientific societies and federations from 57 countries worldwide, announced Tole’s appointment as President Elect. Founded in 1961, IBRO is a global neuroscience societies’ association that supports neuroscience education, research and outreach, and the publication of two journals, ‘Neuroscience’ and ‘IBRO Neuroscience Reports’.

Starting January 1, 2025, Tole, along with the newly elected officers, will join the IBRO advisory board with elect status for one year. The neuroscientist, who received her PhD from CalTech-US and joined TIFR as faculty member in 1999, will assume her role as president on January 1, 2026. Her tenure will end on December 31, 2028, after which she will also serve a two-year term on the IBRO advisory board as past president.

Historically, IBRO presidencies have been predominantly from the European or North American world. This is the first time that someone with a developing country perspective is in a position of leadership.

“Working in the developing world involves various constraints,” said Tole. “Every country and each organisation within the country has them, such as no easy access to resources or networking opportunities. I know the Indian constraints well, and through dialogue I am aware of those that exist in neighbouring countries.”

Tole said the difficulties ranged right from planning experiments and funding delays to attending international conferences and visa appointments. “There are ways of addressing these issues like organising conferences and international workshops in countries where people face travel constraints,” she said. “These and other creative solutions are possible.”

Tole has held prominent positions within the IBRO Asia-Pacific Regional Committee and the Society for Neuroscience and is currently the president of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience. She has also chaired the Women in Science Committee of the Indian Academy of Sciences and actively contributes to the ALBA network, which advocates for diversity in neuroscience.

“The exciting part is definitely that Prof Tole represents the largest region of IBRO in terms of geography, number of countries and population. The unique perspective that Prof Tole may contribute to IBRO is hugely important to ensure that IBRO remains relevant and impactful across all world regions,” said Lars Kristiansen, executive director, IBRO, over email.

Tole, who completed her BSc from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, has been a recipient of the Infosys Science Foundation Award for Life Sciences in 2014 and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, India’s highest scientific honour awarded by the CSIR, Government of India, in 2010.