Vijaya Bodach

Vijaya Bodach is a scientist-turned children’s author, born and raised in India and now based in Charleston, South Carolina. She holds a B.Sc. in Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics from Washington State University, and carried out postdoctoral research on plant defense mechanisms at the Max Planck Institute in Cologne, Germany, and at Purdue University in Indiana. Before turning to writing full time, she investigated topics such as protein export in bacteria and the role of molecular chaperones.

As a writer, Bodach has published dozens of science books and many stories, articles, and poems for children’s magazines, often introducing young readers to biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Her picture book Little Thief! Chota Chor! (Reycraft, 2020) is inspired by a childhood experience in India and follows a girl named Anjali who discovers a surprising “little thief” in her home. She is also the author of other children’s titles, including Shunya Means Zero and Seeds, as well as educational books such as Bar Graphs.