Indian Scientists’ Response to CoViD-19 (ISRC) started as a group of Indian scientists who came together voluntarily in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has now grown to include more than 500 scientists, engineers, technologists, doctors, public health researchers, science communicators, journalists and a number of students; they hail from a range of disciplines but principally the physical and life sciences; they are affiliated to eminent research institutes of science and technology, universities, colleges, hospitals and private laboratories. The group also includes Indian scientists from laboratories all over the world.

The initiators of the group include (in alphabetical order), S Krishnaswamy (Madurai Kamaraj University and IMSc, Chennai), Sandhya Koushika (TIFR, Mumbai), Gautam Menon (Ashoka University and IMSc, Chennai), Niruj Mohan Ramanujam (South African Radio Astronomy Observatory & Astronomical Society of India – POEC), R Ramanujam (IMSc, Chennai), L S Shashidhara (Ashoka University), Rahul Siddharthan (IMSc, Chennai) and Reeteka Sud (NIMHANS, Bengaluru). 

We  emphasize that all the people mentioned above are involved in this effort in their personal and individual capacities and do not represent their institutions in an official capacity.

Several teams are currently involved in this work:

Design and Illustration Team

Resources in Indian Languages and Translation Team

Science Popularization Team

Hoax Busting and Q&A Team

Modelling and Data Analysis Team

Apps and Technology Development Team

Hardware Resources Team

Web and Media Team

More details will be added in due course.

Our objectives are:

  • To support evidence-based action by national, state and local governments through data analysis and modeling from a scientific perspective
  • To provide accurate science-based resources for activist groups working on the ground.
  • To mobilise the academic community, including students at all levels, to participate in science communication and local action.
  • To act as scientific interpreters for the public at large. This would include:
    • Providing collated, curated and verified information for the general public in accessible form in  Indian languages.
    • Hosting discussions among the scientific community (e.g. where epidemiologists, biologists, statisticians, health professionals and social scientists come together) to discuss the situation as it evolves
    • Providing a forum for addressing and answering queries from the public.
    • Communicating a scientific perspective to further public understanding of the current situation.

For queries contact us by email at indscicov@gmail.com or reach us on twitter at @IndSciCOVID