NEW DELHI: IITs​​, predominantly male club that never had a female director or the scientist in his council is in a big change. 

HRD ministry has appointed two women scientists Tessy Thomas and Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath IIT council, the main body 16 IIT. 

A senior HRD official said, "The idea behind getting women scientists at the IIT council is to show that science is not the exclusive domain of men. Females may be at par with men in the conduct of research . "

He said that these two can act as role models. Thomas is the first woman to head the missile program of India. She is in charge of Agni-4 missile project of the Organization of Defense Research Development. 

Ravindranath helped establish the National Center for Brain Research. His research on neurodegenerative disorders can be used to develop disease-modifying therapies. 

IIT Council is headed by the Minister of Human Resources Development and consists of three members of parliament, presidents and directors of all the IITs, chairman of UGC, Director General of CSIR, president and director of IISc, candidate of the ministry HRD and each of three designated ministries and AICTE.