India, July 25 -- Former Indian Institute of Science (IISc) professor Sulochana Gadgil, whose five-decade research on variability and the physics of monsoon enhanced its understanding and inspired generations of climate scientists, has passed away. She was 81.

Gadgil made a name for herself through her pioneering work as a scientist, when it was considered difficult for women to lead in such fields. In 1973, she played a key role in establishing the IISc's Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (Bengaluru) after her doctoral work at Harvard and post-doctorate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Born and brought up in Pune, Gadgil credited her parents for encouraging their four daughters to study. She called her husband, ecologist Madhav...