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Vision

Empowering the next generation of innovators through science and technology.

Mission

VigyanShaala is on a mission to make STEM education, skilling, and professions accessible to the most marginalized young men and women across the globe

Our Story

Dr. Darshana Joshi is a first generation learner and farmer’s daughter from a Himalayan village in the District of Almora in Uttarakhand. Her academic ambitions were nurtured by a nonprofit, Udayan Care, who saw the potential in her. Darshana was mentored to apply for higher studies, scholarships and pursue her PhD. A serendipitous encounter with Prof. Shobhana Narasimhan, a prominent Indian Physicist, ignited her ambition to become a physicist. Under Prof. Narasimhan’s guidance, Darshana’s horizons expanded, culminating in her achievement of a PhD in Physics from Cambridge University in 2017. While completing her PhD Dr. Joshi became the first south Asian woman to be elected to be the President of the Graduate Students Union at Cambridge and serve as an ex-officio trustee of the University.

What could have been the journey of a single girl who loved science, turned into a mission to change the lives of millions of girls like her. Wanting to give back, Darshana and her husband Vijay, with a founding pool of equally passionate volunteers, co-founded VigyanShaala, which means the School of Science.

Grants from the Royal Society of Chemistry and Winton Program for the Physics of Sustainability for 'A Fun Day With Science' and 'Women in Science – Leadership and Beyond' workshops that impacted 1,500 students across Patna, Agartala, Delhi, Dehradun, and Ghaziabad.

Grants from the Royal Society of Chemistry and Winton Program for the Physics of Sustainability for 'A Fun Day With Science' and 'Women in Science – Leadership and Beyond' workshops that impacted 1,500 students across Patna, Agartala, Delhi, Dehradun, and Ghaziabad.

Recognized for their efforts, they received a Grassroots Grants Award from the Materials Research Society, USA. The highly impactful 'It’s a MATERIALS World' workshops reached over 5,000 students across Chennai, Kanchipuram, Pondicherry, Forbesganj, Dehradun, Haridwar, Delhi, Pune, and Mumbai. 

Recognized for their efforts, they received a Grassroots Grants Award from the Materials Research Society, USA. The highly impactful 'It’s a MATERIALS World' workshops reached over 5,000 students across Chennai, Kanchipuram, Pondicherry, Forbesganj, Dehradun, Haridwar, Delhi, Pune, and Mumbai. 

Sagar Sharma from IIT Bombay joined the founding team. Vigyan Chetna Yatra connected with over 2,000 students in Uttarakhand during 2018-19. VigyanShaala earned the Virdee grant award from the Institute of Physics (IoP) UK for teacher training in Sierra Leone.  Further hands-on STEM workshops across Bangalore, Uttrakhand, UP and Delhi engaged over 2,000 students

Sagar Sharma from IIT Bombay joined the founding team. Vigyan Chetna Yatra connected with over 2,000 students in Uttarakhand during 2018-19. VigyanShaala earned the Virdee grant award from the Institute of Physics (IoP) UK for teacher training in Sierra Leone.  Further hands-on STEM workshops across Bangalore, Uttrakhand, UP and Delhi engaged over 2,000 students

Darshana and Vijay, pausing their research careers, formally established VigyanShaala International as a charitable trust in Delhi. Since 2019, VigyanShaala has conducted workshops while deeply immersing the founding team in grassroots issues. Darshana and Vijay visited 200+ schools and 50+ colleges in Uttarakhand, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Odisha allowing VigyanShaala to fully understand the challenges of  STEM teaching and learning. A continued engagement with young minds and teachers through hands-on activities over nationwide journeys, VigyanShaala developed and formalized a self-sustaining model.

Darshana and Vijay, pausing their research careers, formally established VigyanShaala International as a charitable trust in Delhi. Since 2019, VigyanShaala has conducted workshops while deeply immersing the founding team in grassroots issues. Darshana and Vijay visited 200+ schools and 50+ colleges in Uttarakhand, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Odisha allowing VigyanShaala to fully understand the challenges of  STEM teaching and learning. A continued engagement with young minds and teachers through hands-on activities over nationwide journeys, VigyanShaala developed and formalized a self-sustaining model.

In October 2020, we launched She for STEM in the middle of the pandemic and connected young girls pursuing STEM with Global mentors. 

In October 2020, we launched She for STEM in the middle of the pandemic and connected young girls pursuing STEM with Global mentors. 

In January 2021, We launched "Rural STEM Champions" in Berinag and Pittorgarh, Uttarakhand to connect young minds in the remotest parts of the country with hands-on STEM experiments and provide them with career guidance.

In January 2021, We launched "Rural STEM Champions" in Berinag and Pittorgarh, Uttarakhand to connect young minds in the remotest parts of the country with hands-on STEM experiments and provide them with career guidance.

Since 2019, VS has conducted workshops while deeply immersing the founding team in grassroots issues. The teams visited 200+ schools and 50+ colleges  in Uttarakhand, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Odisha allowing VS to fully understand the challenges of  STEM teaching and learning. A continued engagement with young minds and teachers through hands-on activities over nationwide journeys, VigyanShaala developed and formalized a self-sustaining model.