Varsha Ashok Aglawe: Meet Varsha Ashok Aglawe: Geological Survey of India’s first woman Director General in 176 years, who specialises in the study of dinosaur behaviour and nesting patterns
Smt. Varsha Ashok Aglawe became the first woman to lead the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in its 176-year history, taking office as its 54th Director General. The institution was founded all the way back in 1851 and stands as one of the oldest scientific bodies in the country.Aglawe’s story is not just about being “the first” but about the three decades of quiet, steady work that got her there. She joined GSI in the early 90s, beginning her job at the Indian Bureau of Mines, and gradually built a career across the country’s Central, Northern and Eastern regions of the country.
Meet Varsha Ashok Aglawe, the first woman Director General of GSI
Varsha Ashok Aglawe has taken charge as GSI’s 54th Director General, becoming the first woman ever to lead the organisation since it was established in 1851. She takes over from Shri Asit Saha, who served from July 2024 to July 2026.Aglawe’s story to reach this reputed post is far more than just an ordinary lore. She joined GSI in 1992, after first working with the Indian Bureau of Mines, and spent over three decades working in scientific and administrative roles across GSI’s Central, Northern and Eastern regions, as well as its Central Headquarters. Just before this promotion, she was Additional Director General & Head of Department for the Eastern Region in Kolkata.
She specialises in the study of dinosaurs and their behaviour
According to a PIB press release, Smt. Aglawe is an expert in palaeontology and palynology, with notable work on the Late Cretaceous–Palaeocene sediments, the K-T boundary, and the Satpura-Gondwana basins. One of her most important achievements was identifying the Salbardi–Ghorpend area in central India as a new dinosaur nesting site.She has also contributed to international research, including collaborative studies with the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology in the USA, and represented GSI as part of the Indian delegation at PDAC 2023 in Toronto, Canada.
What are her significant contributions?
Beyond her own research, Aglawe has strengthened GSI itself. She set up a state-of-the-art Palynology Laboratory at the Northern Region office in Lucknow and led multidisciplinary geoscientific programmes across the country. She also represented GSI at PDAC 2023 in Toronto, one of the world’s biggest mining and exploration conventions, representing India’s work internationally.
She addressed the way forward for India’s mineral future
On taking charge, Smt. Aglawe reaffirmed that GSI’s work would stay closely aligned with the government’s priorities around the discovery of rare and important minerals and their security.She also spoke about speeding up the search for deep-seated and hidden mineral deposits by using advanced geophysical methods, quicker research programmes, and better-equipped laboratories.She also deliberated upon the need to expand offshore mineral exploration, encourage more advanced geoscientific research, strengthen public-good work like natural hazard studies and glaciology, and support young geoscientists through better publishing opportunities and training.
