Women in Tech: Transitioning careers
from teaching, to thriving at Sony Research India
By Kumud Tripathi, Senior Engineer at Sony Research India
19th February 2024
Embarking on a career transition is a bold step, but for women, it often signifies a profound
journey of resilience, determination, and boundless potential. If you’re a woman in academic
research dreaming of transitioning into a dynamic research environment like Sony Research
India, we share an inspiring narrative, echoing the transformative power of passion,
adaptability, and courage by Kumud Tripathi.
My career began as an assistant professor in the department of Computer Science and
Engineering at IIIT Lucknow, where I dedicated years shaping young minds, nurturing
curiosity, and fostering a love for learning. It was a world I cherished, filled with profound
connections and the joy of witnessing growth in every student I mentored.
The Transition
As the years progressed, I developed an insatiable curiosity to delve into the realm of
technology and research. The transition from the classroom to the vibrant corporate corridors
of Sony Research India started as an idea and was nurtured by a relentless pursuit of growth
and an unwavering belief in the power of possibilities. My first step towards exploring a
career in the corporate world was networking with professionals in the tech industry.
Speaking to industry insiders provided invaluable insights and guidance. My decision was
fuelled by my passion for technology and the desire for professional growth.
Transitioning careers as a woman came with its set of challenges and triumphs. It demanded
adaptability, courage to embrace the unknown, and the belief that every obstacle is an
opportunity to soar higher. At Sony Research India, I found a nurturing environment that
embraced diversity and fostered a culture where my voice was heard, my ideas valued, and
my contributions recognized.
Leveraging Strengths
Instead of focusing on the fact that I was new to the corporate world, I leverage my strengths
from a professional background in education– empathy, communication, adaptability, and the
ability to inspire – traits that seamlessly integrated into the fabric of a research-driven
environment. The art of simplifying complex concepts and nurturing collaborative spaces
found resonance in the innovative projects and collaborative spirit at Sony.
Today, being a part of Sony Research India, my journey signifies a fusion of passion and
purpose where curiosity is celebrated, creativity flourishes, and women are empowered to
lead and innovate. Every challenge I encounter is an opportunity to apply my teaching
expertise to innovative research endeavours that shape the future of technology.
My Message for Women looking for a Career Transition
My journey from teaching and researching at university labs, to working on real world
industry problems, echoes the transformative power of courage, resilience, and a relentless
pursuit of one’s aspirations. As a woman navigating this transition, I aspire to inspire others,
particularly women, to break barriers, embrace change, and unleash their potential in
unconventional yet rewarding career paths.
For every woman educator contemplating a career shift, remember – your journey holds the
power to redefine boundaries, challenge norms, and inspire generations. My transition from
teaching to thriving in a research-driven environment at Sony Research India is not just a
career move – it’s a testament to the resilience and limitless potential of every woman’s
journey.
The introduced modules and techniques help the proposed method to align known class
representations effectively so that it can detect the unknown objects accurately. To validate
this, we carried out extensive experiments & ablation studies and found that the proposed
method outperforms existing SOTA methods with significant improvement on the MS-COCO
& PASCAL VOC dataset for the OSOD task.
