For International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Dr. Kamana Misra – neuroscientist, AWIS Member, AWIS NJ Chapter president and ContraRx CEO/Founder – speaks at the United Nation’s conference in honor of this special day. Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, this special day commemorates the work needed in order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Catch/RT AWIS’ live tweets from @AWISNational.

How do you define leadership?

To me, leadership is like the leader of the ship . . . a captain who has to motivate his team members, with individual preferences, to work together toward achieving a common task. It is about leading, but at the same time about knowing when to let others in the team step up to take responsibilities and execute a task.

Who is the most influential person in your life besides family?

I have been lucky to come across many people who have significantly influenced my life. One person who really helped shape my life is my PhD advisor, Prof. R.C. Sobti. I was very young and frivolous when I entered grad school. Under his valuable mentoring, advice, and support, the scientist in me blossomed, I developed a love for science, and my self-confidence flourished under the trust he placed on my capabilities. I felt and still feel that I owe it to him: I want to live up to his expectations. Beyond science, his strong networking within the scientific and political community taught me early on the power of building relationships. To date, he continues to guide, develop, and support my career.

Name one thing we can all do to improve the status of women as leaders both in the United States and worldwide.

We can improve the status of women as leaders by empowering women’s efforts to increase confidence in their own capabilities and by changing the prevalent stereotype that women cannot be good leaders.