Neuroscientist Shubha Tole is IBRO president-elect

IBRO is a global association of neuroscience societies established in 1961 that aims to promote and support neuroscience around the world through training, education, research, outreach and engagement activities, and the publication of two journals, Neuroscience and IBRO Neuroscience Reports. Tole said that as IBRO’s first president-elect from the developing world, she hopes to further the organisation’s efforts towards diversity, equity and inclusion.

From January 1, 2025, the newly elected officers will join the IBRO advisory board with elect status for one year before assuming their roles as president, secretary general and treasurer on January 1, 2026. Their terms will run until December 31, 2028.

Apart from Tole, the other members include secretary general elect, professor João Relvas, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal and treasurer elect, professor David Belin, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. On completing her term, Tole will also serve a two-year term on the advisory board as former president. As per an official statement, each officer-elect brings an extensive background in neuroscience and leadership.

Tole, a neuroscience researcher at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), received her PhD from CalTech and returned to India in 1999 to establish her research programmes. She has held prominent positions within the IBRO Asia-Pacific Regional Committee and the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) and is currently the President of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience (ISDN). Prof. Tole has also chaired the Women in Science Committee of the Indian Academy of Sciences and actively contributes to the ALBA network, which advocates for diversity in neuroscience.

The current IBRO president professor Tracy Bale, who will continue serving her term until December 2025, welcomed the newly elected officers, stating that the remarkable achievements of the newly elected officers, particularly Tole’s leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion on a global scale, provides great confidence in the ability to steer IBRO towards ever-greater impacts in the coming years. “Their collective vision and scientific expertise are truly impressive,” Bale said.

IBRO saw a record number of nominations for the 2024 elections that also included the election of new members for its five regional committees.