Year Honored: 2008

Birth: 1947

Born in: Mumbai, India

Biography

Uma Chowdhry was born in Bombay, India (now Mumbai) in 1947. She first became interested in science in high school and graduated from the University of Bombay with a Bachelor of Science in 1968. Encouraged by her father, Chowdhry left for America to pursue graduate education at the California Institute of Technology. Originally planning to pursue nuclear physics, Chowdhry’s future husband, Vinay Chowdhry “got her hooked-on chemistry.” In 1976, Chowdhry earned a doctorate in material science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

After graduating from MIT, Chowdhry accepted a position at the DuPont Company. Her research led to the creation of superconductors – ceramics that are able to conduct electricity – which today are commonly used in batteries and electronics packaging. Chowdhry was promoted to the head of DuPont’s Terathane Operations, and in 2006, Chowdhry became DuPont’s Chief Science and Technology Officer. She retired from the company in 2010, after 33 years.

Chowdhry was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1996, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003.
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Sources and Additional Readings

Oral history interview with Uma Chowdhry. Science History Institute Digital Collections. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/nt2ydj8

Uma Chowdhry. Science History Institute. (2021, May 26). Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/uma-chowdhry

Uma Chowdhry • Dupont. Women Worth Watching in Leadership 2022. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://womenworthwatching.com/uma-chowdhry/