Senior electrochemical scientist Nallathamby Kalaiselvi has become the first woman director general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
It is a consortium of 38 state-run research institutes across the country.
She was appointed for a period of two years.
She is known for her work in the field of lithium-ion batteries.
Kalaiselvi is at present director of the CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute at Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu.
She is becoming the first woman scientist to head the Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI) in February 2019.