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Women of Powers: Minds that Spark Asia

Paromita Bannerjee
,
Rahul Singh
,
Sierin Lim
Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback
Amazon

Women of POWERS journeys across the vast and varied landscapes of Asia, from the beaches of Singapore to the mountains of Nepal; from a daughter of a brewmaster in India to a daughter of a surgeon in Japan. These are the stories of women whose passion for science rose above gender roles, cultural expectations, and the constraints of limited resources, illuminating paths where none existed before.

This collection pays tribute to extraordinary women in STEM whose curiosity reshaped our understanding of nature, medicine, energy, and human resilience. They are molecular biologists who turned venom into healing compounds, physicians who stood on conflict borders to care for the displaced, chemists who decoded the secrets of disease, and engineers who reimagined the future of energy and sustainability. Their discoveries carry the power to heal bodies, restore dignity, and transform societies.

As Asia watched its first woman astronaut rise beyond the atmosphere, she carried with her a constellation of women whose eyes remain fixed on a star called, hope. These stories celebrate the quiet, unwavering spark, one that flickers in classrooms, laboratories, refugee camps, rural clinics, and research institutes across the continent.

Women of POWERS is a tribute to the past, present, and future women in STEM whose legacies continue to shape the scientific imagination of Asia. It is a reminder that brilliance does not emerge from privilege alone, but from courage, conviction, and the belief that science can build a better world for generations to come.

Published: Oct/2026

ISBN: 9789815368628

Length: 240 Pages

Women of Powers: Minds that Spark Asia

Paromita Bannerjee
,
Rahul Singh
,
Sierin Lim

Women of POWERS journeys across the vast and varied landscapes of Asia, from the beaches of Singapore to the mountains of Nepal; from a daughter of a brewmaster in India to a daughter of a surgeon in Japan. These are the stories of women whose passion for science rose above gender roles, cultural expectations, and the constraints of limited resources, illuminating paths where none existed before.

This collection pays tribute to extraordinary women in STEM whose curiosity reshaped our understanding of nature, medicine, energy, and human resilience. They are molecular biologists who turned venom into healing compounds, physicians who stood on conflict borders to care for the displaced, chemists who decoded the secrets of disease, and engineers who reimagined the future of energy and sustainability. Their discoveries carry the power to heal bodies, restore dignity, and transform societies.

As Asia watched its first woman astronaut rise beyond the atmosphere, she carried with her a constellation of women whose eyes remain fixed on a star called, hope. These stories celebrate the quiet, unwavering spark, one that flickers in classrooms, laboratories, refugee camps, rural clinics, and research institutes across the continent.

Women of POWERS is a tribute to the past, present, and future women in STEM whose legacies continue to shape the scientific imagination of Asia. It is a reminder that brilliance does not emerge from privilege alone, but from courage, conviction, and the belief that science can build a better world for generations to come.

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback
Amazon

Paromita Bannerjee

Paromita Bannerjee writes to understand what makes people thrive, in love, at work, and within themselves. A strategist and storyteller, she explores the delicate intersections of relationships, resilience, and leadership through a wellness lens. Her work stems from a deep curiosity about human behaviour and a belief that when people feel seen, they perform, connect, and lead better.

An award-winning HR strategist and consultant with over two decades of experience across India, Singapore, the UK, and Dubai, Paromita has led transformative initiatives in organisational culture, diversity, and belonging. She blends business insight with emotional intelligence to help organisations build cultures grounded in trust, purpose, and psychological safety.

In her book Hitched to Ditched, she examines how personal relationships influence professional growth and emotional balance. Her current book, Women of POWERS – 25 Stories that Spark STEM in Asia, delves into the intrinsic motivations propelling women to achieve excellence in science despite systemic hurdles.

A LinkedIn Top Voice, Paromita’s insights have reached over a million readers worldwide. Her columns in lifestyle and leadership publications focus on gender diversity, emotional health, and relational intelligence. A Miss India International finalist, certified in psychology from Yale University, and IIM Bangalore alumna, she is also a poet and passionate animal lover.
Her mission is simple yet profound, to make leadership more humane, bridging intellect with intuition and structure with soul, to create a world where work and life are harmoniously integrated rather than in tension to strike a balance.

Rahul Singh

Rahul Singh gives work and ambition their deeper meaning, that is, purpose of life. An advisor, banker, and community builder, he explores how ideas, insight, and individuality come together to redefine success—not as accumulation, but as alignment between what we do, why we do it, and how we do it.

Through his writing and leadership, Rahul encourages organizations and individuals to look beyond outcomes and rediscover the inner drivers of communication, curiosity, and connection for communities that make achievement truly fulfilling. With a career spanning banking, education, and social impact, Rahul bridges analytical rigour with human insight. His work reflects a rare ability to make strategies tell stories and serve people. His acclaimed books—You Know the Glory Not the Story, Engineering to Ikigai, and An Atheist Gets the Gita—invite readers to rethink ambition, faith, and identity through the lens of purpose. His forthcoming titles ESG: Putting Purpose Back in Money extends conscious capitalism to corporates and Hitched to Ditched: Seven Secrets of Relationship anchors meaning to modern relationships.

In Women of POWERS: 25 Stories that Spark STEM in Asia, Rahul celebrates women whose courage and curiosity have changed the face of science reminding us that the most powerful discoveries begin not in laboratories, but in the human spirit. Hailing from the holy city of Ayodhya and raised in India, Rahul is a true global citizen. He studied Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at Nanyang Technological University on a full scholarship and has MBA from IIM Bangalore.

Sierin Lim

Sierin Lim and her team work to invent technologies for solving some of the challenges in human and planetary health. An advocate for interdisciplinary science, her lab combines approaches in biology, chemistry, and engineering to engineer biological systems aimed to repurposing nature’s toolbox towards industrial translation.

As a life-long learner, Sierin is acutely aware that exploration at the boundary of disciplines requires an open mind and willingness to stretch one’s comfort zone. She encourages the practice of thoughtful inquiry stemming from curiosity and appreciates grit as the driving force throughout the learning process.
An academic with a strong sense of community, she spearheaded several grassroot initiatives, including Biomedical Engineering Society Singapore Student Chapter, Society of Women Engineers (Singapore), and Women@NTU. She is a Fellow of the L’Oreal-UNESCO Singapore for Women in Science and is the co-chair of Promotion of Women in Engineering, Research and Science (POWERS) programme that aims to create a supportive environment to empower women and girls to pursue and succeed in STEM. She co-founded POWERS with an initial grant from the Singapore Ministry of Education.

Born and raised in Jakarta, she trained at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as a chemical and biomedical engineer and did a post-doc in materials science at UC Irvine. Upon returning to Southeast Asia to start her academic career at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, she experiences unique conditions and resources. Through the book, Women of POWERS: 25 Stories that Spark STEM in Asia, Sierin hopes to bring the work of women in STEM in Asia to light.