Kamala Sohonie was a pioneer of biochemistry in India, and the first Indian woman to receive a PhD in a scientific field. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Physics from Bombay University, Kamala applied to the Indian Institute of Science. She was the first woman accepted into the program; however, her acceptance was conditional and did not come without struggles. While here she obtained a MS degree, and was then invited to Cambridge University to work and study for her PhD. She then returned to India where she was appointed Professor and Head of the Department of Biochemistry at Lady Hardinge Medical College. After marrying her husband, she joined the Royal Institute of Science as a professor of biochemistry, and later became Director of the Institute. While Sohonie researched many different aspects of biochemistry throughout her career, her most notable work was in the effects of vitamins and the nutritional values of pulses, paddy, and foods consumed by some of the poorest sections of Indian. She received the Rashtrapati Award for her work with the palm extract ‘Neera’. Through her research in this subject she found that adding Neera to the diets of malnourished adolescents and pregnant women was significantly beneficial to their health and an inexpensive option.