Aditi Pant was the first Indian woman to visit Antarctica, alongside geologist Sudipta Sengupta in 1983 as part of the Indian Antarctic Program.
27 Facts About Aditi Pant
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Aditi Pant has held prominent positions at institutions including the National Institute of Oceanography, National Chemical Laboratory, University of Pune, and Maharashtra Academy of Sciences.
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Aditi Pant was born in a Marathi-speaking Deshastha Brahmin family in Nagpur, India.
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Aditi Pant's Father Appa Saheb Pant was a respected diplomat and served Government of India for forty years.
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Aditi Pant served as High Commissioner in many countries of Europe and Africa.
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Aditi Pant's mother Nalini Devi was a medical doctor and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.
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Aditi Pant's curiosity grew from her exposure to the natural world by her parents, in the form of dinnertime conversation and outdoor activities.
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At the time Aditi Pant was growing up, it was uncommon for women to obtain advanced degrees.
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Aditi Pant completed her BSc at University of Pune.
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Aditi Pant was inspired to take up oceanography as a profession when she came across the book The Open Sea by Alister Hardy from a family friend.
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Aditi Pant wrote her thesis on the effect of tropical light intensities on photosynthesis by natural plankton communities and the nature and amount of reduced carbon flow from phytoplankton to bacteria.
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Aditi Pant then went on to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Physiology in Marine Algae at Westfield College London University.
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Aditi Pant's thesis dealt with the subject matter of the physiology of marine algae.
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Aditi Pant went on to earn a SERC award and a stipend for her investigations.
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Aditi Pant's proposition depended on photosynthesis in tiny fish networks as she was first presented to this marine structure in the book "The Open Sea".
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In 1990, after 17 years of working with the NIO, Aditi Pant moved to Pune to work at the National Chemical Laboratory.
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Aditi Pant was Professor Emeritus for the University of Pune Botany Department from 2003 to 2007.
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Between December 1983 and March 1984, Aditi Pant embarked on an expedition to one of the most untouched regions on earth, Antarctica.
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Aditi Pant's expedition was aimed at gathering information related to food chain physics, chemistry, and biology in the Antarctic Ocean.
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Under the severe and harsh climate conditions Dr Aditi Pant studied the mainland for four months and turned out with brilliant disclosures.
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Aditi Pant participated in the fifth expedition to the Antarctic in 1984, carrying out research in oceanography and geology.
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Aditi Pant is the owner of five patents and has over 67 publications in international journals.
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Aditi Pant was honored with the Antarctica Award by the Government of India for her contributions to the Indian Antarctic programme.
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Aditi Pant shared the honor with colleagues Sudipta Sengupta, Jaya Naithani, and Kanwal Vilku.
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Aditi Pant was a recipient of the SERC award and stipends for her investigations in her field of research.
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Aditi Pant is a member of the Maharashtra Society for the Cultivation of Science, General Body of Maharashtra Association for the Cultivation of Science, Biofuel Committee, Department of Biotechnology, CGO Complex, New Delhi.
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Aditi Pant is a fellow member of Maharashtra Academy of Science.