Aragen Launches First of Its Kind All-Female ChemiSHE Lab

By: WE Staff | Friday, 17 April 2026

• Aragen launched ChemiSHE, an all-women R&D lab in Hyderabad
• It begins with 12–14 women scientists to drive research and leadership growth
• The company plans to hire 800–1,000 women in 3 years to boost diversity

Aragen, a premier Global Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization, launched its first-ever chemistry synthesis lab composed of an all-female team – ChemiSHE – at its Mallapur campus in Hyderabad, India. As part of this broader strategic initiative, the ChemiSHE lab aims to promote gender diversity across the scientific workforce within the company and help to provide structured leadership pathways for women within pharmaceutical R&D.

Initially, the new lab will employ approximately 12-14 scientists, and its main objectives will be to help develop greater ownership of research programs, increase the visibility of scientific contributions and accelerate the advancement into decision-making positions.

Aparna Reddy, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former national president of FICCI FLO, who inaugurated the lab as chief guest, said “ChemiSHE is a strong expression of the role women scientists play at Aragen and an important initiative to support the growth of women leaders. It creates an environment where women can work together, learn from one another, and grow under the mentorship of a woman leader.”

Speaking at the inauguration, Manni Kantipudi, Managing Director & CEO of Aragen, said “ChemiSHE is designed in line with the International Women’s Day 2026 theme of ‘Give to Gain’ - and it reflects our conviction that investing in women’s leadership multiplies innovation and scientific excellence.”

Over the next three years, we plan to add 800–1,000 women employees across scientific, operational, and leadership functions as we build a more balanced and future-ready workforce,” she added.

Pragya Yadav, scientific manager for discovery chemistry solutions at Aragen will lead this lab. This lab is in line with Aragen's values, which include embracing diversity as part of our identity as one of the world's top CRMDO.

One of the unique things about Aragen is our ability to provide Quality & AI based on digital technologies to over 450 customers, pharma/biotech, globally, across the entirety of the drug discovery, development and manufacturing process.