Her Story
About Antara
Antara Dutta serves as a full Professor of Chemistry at Georgia State University Perimeter College in Dunwoody, Georgia. With 18 years of experience in academia, she teaches full time while also conducting research and has held leadership roles including ex-president of the Organization for Student Success. Her educational journey began in India with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Calcutta University, followed by a PhD in theoretical computational chemistry from Jadavpur University in 2002. She then completed postdoctoral positions at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. Dutta is actively involved in several professional organizations, including the Georgia Academy of Science, the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society, and 2IC3, the 2 Years Chemistry Consortium. She attributes her success to her parents and family and emphasizes values of transparency, honesty, mutual respect, and balance in her work and personal life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Antara
01What do you attribute your success to?
My parents and my family are my biggest strength.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I am very spiritual and read books on meditation and self-help like Atomic Habits. I learn from observing people around me rather than from any particular mentor.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You have to be open-minded and not keep your thoughts blocked. Resilience is very important - out of 10 things, if 3 work that's fine. Failure means you sat down and thought negative. Get up and show up every day. When something unexpected happens, stay calm and do not react immediately.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Challenge is AI - students learning everything from AI, so we must teach them judgment on what information to take. Opportunity in computational research with many applications to explore.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Transparency and honesty are very important. I stay transparent with my students about what I teach and expect. Mutual respect in the workplace is essential - without respect everything becomes difficult. Balance is also key.
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