An international association of neuroscientists, the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), has elected Indian scientist Shubha Tole as its president. Tole has significantly advanced neuroscience research worldwide. She has contributed to the understanding of the genetic processes that underlie the brain regions that regulate emotion, language, and memory. She is a professor at Mumbai's Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in the biological sciences division.

Shubha Tole: IBRO President ~

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Tole was chosen to the top spot by the IBRO, which represents 69 scientific societies from 57 nations, at its annual session on October 6, 2024, in Chicago, USA. On January 1, 2025, she will be elected to a one-year term on the IBRO advisory board. From January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2028, Tole will serve as president. Tole will also serve a two-year term as former president of the advisory board after her term is over. She is the first president-elect from a developing country to be elected by IBRO.

Tole expressed her intention to advance IBRO's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the organization's official media statement. Through an organization like IBRO, which has a network to reach aspiring and practicing neuroscientists globally, especially those from places that might not have easy access to resources or networking opportunities, it is an honor to serve the global neuroscience community.

Tole returned to India in 1999 to start her research programs after receiving her PhD from the esteemed California Institute of Technology. She currently serves as the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience's (ISDN) president.  As an advocate for diversity in neuroscience, Tole has also served as chair of the Indian Academy of Sciences' Women in Science Committee and participates in the ALBA network. She has occupied important roles in the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) and the IBRO Asia-Pacific Regional Committee.

A brief about The International Brain Research Organisation ~

Through training, education, research, outreach, and engagement initiatives, as well as the publication of two journals, Neuroscience and IBRO Neuroscience Reports, the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), a global association of neuroscience societies founded in 1961, seeks to advance and support neuroscience globally. 

Together with the IBRO Executive Committee and five Regional Committees, the IBRO Governing Council, which is made up of more than 90 international, regional, and national scientific members, works to meet the requirements of individual scientists and research communities around the world. up order to determine priorities and fill up knowledge, funding, and resource gaps in the field of brain research, IBRO also collaborates with other scientific organizations that share similar goals.
 

What's Coming Up ?

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In addition to Tole, the newly chosen treasurer-elect is Professor David Belin of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK, and the secretary-general-elect is Professor João Relvas of the University of Porto in Porto, Portugal. 

Tracy Bale, the current president of IBRO, will remain in office until December 2025. In the announcement, she stated that Tole's global leadership in advancing diversity and inclusion gives her a lot of confidence in her ability to guide IBRO toward ever-greater benefits in the years to come.

“It is a privilege to serve the global neuroscience community through an organization like IBRO that has a network to reach aspiring and practicing neuroscientists worldwide, including those from regions that may not have easy access to resources or networking opportunities. As IBRO’s first President-elect from the developing world, I hope to further IBRO’s efforts towards diversity, equity and inclusion.” – Dr. Shuba Tole