Dr. Smita Lele is a technologist with industrial, academic and research experience over 3 decades.She is currently Controller of Examination and Professor of Biochemical Engg., in the Institute of Chemical Technology (Formerly UDCT/UICT), Mumbai. She was working as the Head of the Departments of Food Engg. & Tech., during 2008-12. After graduation in Chemical Engg, from then UDCT, she was the first woman engineer to join Hindustan Lever Research Centre in 1977. She was also a consultant to Alfa Laval – Tetra Pack (India) in 1996 and a visiting researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, USA (1998).She has published 81 international papers in refereed journals, has 5 patents to her credit. She has supervised 21 Doctorate and 55 Masters Students and many more are working under her now.She has received several awards and accolades including Hari Om Ashram Preri Shri. S.S. Bhatnagar Research Award on Prevention of Water Pollution”, Fellow, Maharshtra Academy of Sc., Fellow Biotech Research Society of India and Dr. Bains – AFST life time achievement awards for woman Food Scientist.Dr. Lele has successfully handled several sponsored projects among which are a 100 kg vegetable dehydration demo plant set up at Baramati, Maharshtra. The dry-mix vegetable-products - JustsipTM brand drinking vegetables and vegetable soup premixes are being marketed; conversion of vegetable powder such as doodhi, carrot, palak into easy to consume or swallow tablets and chews some of which are also fortified with iron and or calcium to improve mineral content. The trial marketing is being conducted through a network of few hundred pediatricians in Maharshtra and developing and transferring technology for biological treatment of waste generated in Nuclear Plants containing high nitrate content.Dr. Lele is a member of several scientific committees of Government bodies such as DBT, DST, and FSSAI.Dr. Smita is firmly committed to her students and has been acting as a Career Counsellor for appropriate selection of career by the college and graduate students so as to become a successful professionals.