Dr Reshma Nair Mini Ravi

I was always a curious child, constantly wanting to learn more about animals. Throughout different stages of my career, I was lucky to get mentors who supported my curiosity and nurtured that curiosity. I believe my mentors were my biggest strength, the ones who made me reach this level. In different stages of my career, I doubted myself a lot because I always wanted to specialize in dairy production but didn't know which field related to animal science I should pursue. The climate change and heat stress aspect just came from nowhere. My mentors used to tell me that I need to trust myself, because this is something that's going to be the greatest challenge of the world, if not now, then soon. I always had that doubt about whether this was the right path for me, but I trusted myself, I believed in myself, and I moved forward without any second thought.

I would especially like to acknowledge three mentors who played a significant role in my career: Dr. Beena, a motherly figure who guided me with immense care; Dr. Nameer, whose support and encouragement were invaluable; and Dr. Agustín Rius from University of Tennessee, who greatly influenced my academic and research journey. Their mentorship has left a lasting impact on my career and life.

Believe in yourself. In different stages of my career, I doubted myself a lot because I always wanted to be someone who specialized in dairy production, but I didn't know which field related to animal science I should go into. The climate change and heat stress aspect in my career just came from nowhere, I don't know. My mentors used to tell me that I need to trust myself, because this is something that's going to be the greatest challenge of the world, if not now, it will be soon. I always had that doubt in myself about whether this is the right path for me or not, but I trusted myself, I believed in myself, and I moved forward without any second thought. That's something that I always tell myself, to move forward.

I would say it's difficult to survive, to get grants and funding, especially for studies like heat stress, but it's doable. If you trust the process and if you have patience, go for it. If you are someone who wants to do things overnight, this is not for you. You just have to trust the process and constantly try.

I would say some people still believe that climate change is a myth, and that's one of the biggest challenges. I'm working with farmers, and they are least worried about climate change or heat stress. They're only worried about their production and milk yields, so it's a bit challenging to convince them, or convince the layman about climate change or heat stress, and to tell them that this is not a myth anymore. You have a lot of examples around you. Convincing people is one of the biggest challenges, I would say, in my field especially.

I think kindness is something that I value a lot, especially since I'm in a leadership position right now. I look for people who are kind and who have the attitude to learn new things. It's difficult to see people with kindness and a good attitude. You can teach them skills once you hire them, but you cannot teach them kindness or attitude, so I believe those are some of the good qualities I would look for, especially in a professional life and in personal life as well.