The 7th edition of Association for Computing Machinery India Council on Women in Computing (ACM-W) Grad Cohort for Women in Research, a flagship mentoring initiative, was held in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur between 6 – 7 July, 2025. This prestigious event is dedicated to supporting, inspiring, and empowering women graduate students across India pursuing careers in computing and related disciplines. Modeled after the CRA-WP Grad Cohort in the USA, the Indian edition was launched in 2018 to offer a contextualised platform for mentorship, guidance, and professional growth. Since its inception, the event has developed into a vital venue for women in computing to network, collaborate, and receive personalized advice from leaders in both academia and industry.

The 2025 edition featured inspiring talks, mentoring sessions, and workshops to foster a nurturing environment for aspiring researchers. The event began with a warm welcome by the course co-ordinator Prof. Preeti Malakar followed by an address by Prof. Surender Baswana, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT Kanpur. He highlighted the impact of IITs reserving 20% of seats for women, noting, "Even though women occupy only 20% of seats, they are winning a disproportionately high number of medals. This clearly shows that, when given equal opportunities, women can outperform." This powerful message of encouragement was carried forward by the second speaker, Dr. Aruna Rajan, an accomplished professional who has worked across various industries (IBM, Google) and holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics. She launched her startup and emphasised the importance of "focusing on doing something rather than being someone." She reflected on her journey of letting go of prestigious titles and roles and instead pursuing the work that inspires and satisfies her the most.

Prof. Maya Ramanath from IIT Delhi gave valuable insights into navigating a career in research — from starting a doctoral programme to progressing into postdoctoral research and eventually becoming a faculty member. Her session was followed by an engaging conversation with Prof. Nitin Saxena, who is celebrated for his breakthrough result on "AKS Primality Test", which earned him prestigious awards such as the Fulkerson and Gödel prizes. He shared his reflections on the discovery, its reception, and his personal journey behind the landmark achievement. He was interviewed by Prof. Amey Karkare who inspired the audience with the story of his perseverance towards building large projects that are being used around the country.

Dr. Renuka Sindhgatta from IBM IRL and Prof. Urbi Chatterjee from IIT Kanpur spoke on how to conduct systematic research, drawing distinctions between research in industry and academia. They explained the varied timescales and degrees of freedom in topic selection between the two sectors. Dr. Vini Kanvar from IBM IRL and Prof. Priyanka Bagade from IIT Kanpur presented their unique perspectives on opportunitites after PhD for women in industry and academia. They highlighted the unique strengths women bring to the technology industry. Prof. Mukulika Maity gave powerful message about how one may deal with relunctance to ask questions and why it is important to “come out of your shell”.

The attendees also got a wonderful opportunity to hear about quantum computing from emninent researchers who have been working in this field for quite some time. Prof. Rajat Mittal from IIT Kanpur and Dr. Anupama Ray from IBM IRL fascinated the audience with the basics of quantum computing and the emerging research and development roles in quantum computing.

The attendees engaged in a hands-on session on effective communication conducted by Dr. Jayashree Mohan from Microsoft Research. Sonia Garcha gave a glimpse of CSPathshala and their unique challenges which they face with a smile. The programme included two panel discussions with panels of eminent female researchers and a focused mentoring session, allowing students to ask questions and receive candid and insightful responses. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the C3i Center at IIT Kanpur. This event was wholeheartedly supported by a team of eleven dedicated volunteers from the Department of CSE.