Padma Shri awardee Dr Shubha V: Guiding flights, inspiring generations

Every year, women form only a small minority among recipients of national and state honours such as the Padma and Rajyotsava awards.

Women from STEM fields are even more conspicuous by their absence. The conferment of the Padma Shri this year on Dr Shubha V, former Distinguished Scientist at the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and best known for leading the development of Drishti, India’s first indigenous runway visibility-measuring system, is therefore a moment worth celebrating — all the more so because she is from Karnataka. 

I first met Shubha in 1989 at her home in Bengaluru’s Mahalakshmi Layout. She was then a Scientist 'C' at NAL and had just won the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) Young Scientist Award for Physical Sciences, the first woman from Karnataka to receive the award. I had gone to interview her for a magazine. 

Born in Bengaluru in 1954, Shubha was the ninth and youngest child in her family. Encouraged by her father, she chose to pursue science and higher education, an uncommon path for women of her generation. She studied at National College securing first rank in BSc (Hons) Physics from Bangalore University in 1972, along with two gold medals. She went on to study for an MSc in Physics at Central College, with a specialisation in Electronics.

Tragedy struck when she was in the first year of her MSc: her father passed away. It was a difficult period for the large family. To save the bus fare of 15 paise, Shubha walked every day from Hanumanthanagar to Central College. In 1974, she completed her MSc, once again securing first rank and a gold medal.

Her academic excellence earned her a CSIR Research Fellowship, and she completed her PhD in Instrumentation and Materials Science in 1981. The following year, she joined NAL as Scientist 'B'. Over the decades, she held several key positions, including Head of Materials Science and Head of Airport Instrumentation, before retiring in 2020 as a Distinguished Scientist. 

When I visited her again around the turn of the century, her mother was 90 years old and Shubha cared for her with quiet devotion. She not only balanced demanding professional responsibilities with caregiving at home but also found time to work with the underprivileged through the Friends Service League of NAL. 

Drishti India’s first indigenous runway visibility-measuring system. Photo courtesy: CSIR-NAL

By then, Shubha’s scientific career was marked by a consistent focus on indigenous research and development (R&D).

A decade later, in 2011, she came into the public eye as the scientist who led the development of ‘Drishti’. Severe fog and poor runway visibility often lead to flight delays, diversions and cancellations. Drishti, a transmittometer that measures Runway Visual Range (RVR), significantly aids pilots for safe landing and takeoff during such conditions. 

Shubha was also involved in the indigenous development of the Aviation Weather Monitoring System (AWMS), another mandatory airport system that provides real-time data on air pressure, temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity and dew point. 

Over the years, she has received numerous honours for her contributions to science, engineering and technology, including the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy Award in 2021 and the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda State Award in 2025. Drishti went on to win several national awards, including the first ‘Make in India’ National Award in 2015 and the CSIR Platinum Jubilee Technology Innovation Award in 2016.

Today, while women account for nearly 43% of enrolments in STEM courses, they make up only about 27% of the STEM workforce in India, with their presence in leadership positions remaining minuscule. Against this imbalance, Dr Shubha’s journey stands as both an inspiration and a challenge — urging women to enter STEM fields, persevere and push against the status quo.