STEM Program Manager
CurrentThe Green Acres Academy, The Acres Foundation · Mumbai
Feb 2026 – Present
STEM Program Manager · Mumbai
Building the future of STEM education, one program at a time.
EdTech Program Manager ✦ STEM Curriculum & Product Strategist
Transforming education through strategic planning, curriculum innovation, and technology integration — 8+ years, 20+ school programs, 450+ educators trained.
About Me
Where science, strategy & classrooms meet.
I'm an experienced EdTech and STEM education professional with 8+ years of expertise in program management, curriculum development, and instructional design. My passion lies in creating impactful learning experiences that bridge strategic thinking with hands-on implementation.
Throughout my career, I've led end-to-end delivery of STEM programs across 20+ partner schools, managed cross-functional teams, and designed NEP-aligned curriculum that increased learner engagement by 30%. I thrive at the intersection of education, technology, and innovation — whether it's optimizing LMS platforms, training educators, or contributing to EdTech product roadmaps.
With a strong foundation in biotechnology research and a proven track record in educational research (published in international journals), I bring both scientific rigor and creative problem-solving to every project.
Impact by Numbers
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Partner schools & programs managed
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Years in EdTech & STEM education
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Educators trained nationwide
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Increase in learner engagement (LMS optimization)
Career Journey
From the lab bench to leading STEM programs.
A decade-long path through science research, curriculum craft and program leadership — each step building toward scalable, data-driven educational impact.
Associate Program Manager
Curiosity Gym Pvt Ltd · Mumbai
Aug 2024 – Feb 2026
- Led end-to-end delivery of STEM programs by managing key client accounts, aligning cross-functional teams, and streamlining operations for scalable implementation.
- Monitored KPIs and optimized systems to enhance learner satisfaction, quality, and efficiency.
- Led curriculum operations and LMS optimization, improving accessibility and learner engagement by 30%.
- Contributed to EdTech product roadmap by aligning instructional needs with platform capabilities.
Team Lead – Curriculum & Content Strategy
Curiosity Gym Pvt Ltd · Mumbai
May 2023 – July 2024
- Designed NEP-aligned STEM modules and pilot programs for middle & high school cohorts.
- Led cross-team coordination between content, delivery, and product teams.
- Implemented educator training programs and created teacher facilitation guides and demo kits.
- Coordinated with CSR partners, schools, and cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with NEP standards.
Senior Content Developer – STEM
Curiosity Gym Pvt Ltd · Mumbai
Nov 2021 – Apr 2023
- Designed interactive curriculum and NEP-aligned STEM modules for middle and high school learners.
- Conducted pilot programs and embedded experiential, inquiry-based learning in blended environments.
Content Developer & Innovation Hub Instructor
Curiosity Gym Pvt Ltd · Mumbai
July 2020 – Oct 2021
- Delivered hands-on STEM activities and created teaching aids for innovation labs across schools.
- Trained educators via workshops and classroom support to promote active, project-based learning.
Project Scientific Assistant
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), TIFR · Mumbai
Mar 2017 – Feb 2020
- Developed STEM-based teaching resources for national education programs using research-backed pedagogical methods.
- Designed and facilitated teacher training workshops, enhancing instructional practices for 450+ educators.
- Coordinated postgraduate academic workshops under YCMOU, managing logistics, curriculum delivery, and student support.
Junior Scientific Officer
Thyrocare Technologies Ltd · Mumbai
Sep 2016 – Jan 2017
- Oversaw laboratory compliance with CAP and NABL accreditation protocols.
- Collaborated with QA teams to uphold testing accuracy and documentation standards.
Achievements
Honors, recognition & milestones.
Awarded for operational excellence, invited as a national-level resource person, and certified across project management, instructional design and AI in education.
Best Curriculum Operations & Efficiency Award
Curiosity Gym, Mumbai — recognized for excellence in curriculum operations, systems and delivery efficiency.
Resource Person & Judge
National Children Science Congress, HBCSE, Mumbai — invited expert for India's premier student science platform.
Published researcher — international journal & conference proceedings
450+ educators trained across STEM & pedagogy frameworks
30% learner-engagement lift through LMS optimization
Certified Master Trainer — STEM.org
Certifications
The AI-Driven Project ManagerLinkedIn · Sep 2025
Project Management FoundationsLinkedIn · May 2025
Fundamentals of Predictive & Agile Project ManagementPMI · Aug 2024
Generative AI for EducatorsGoogle Academy · Aug 2024
Certified Master TrainerSTEM.org · Sep 2023
PG Diploma in Instructional DesignSymbiosis · Jan 2023
Featured Work
Programs & projects with measurable impact.
STEM Program Scale-Up Initiative
End-to-end delivery of comprehensive STEM programs across 20+ partner schools — managing CSR partnerships, budgeting, logistics, and impact measurement. Designed monitoring frameworks and dashboards to track learner outcomes and program effectiveness.
- 30% increase in learner engagement through LMS optimization
- 20+ schools, 150+ educators trained
JiraNotionMoodleLMSGoogle Workspace
NEP-Aligned Curriculum Development
Comprehensive STEM curriculum modules for middle and high school aligned with National Education Policy standards — pilot programs embedding experiential, inquiry-based learning with complete teacher support materials.
- Curriculum modules, facilitation guides, demo kits & assessment frameworks
iSpring SuiteEdPuzzleCanva
Activity-Based Environmental Studies Handbook
Co-authored a handbook for elementary environmental studies (grades 3–5) under the longitudinal School Science Research and Development (SSRD) project at HBCSE, TIFR.
- Published June 2024 · national distribution to educators
- Built on multi-year research into student engagement
Large-Scale Teacher Training & Capacity Building
Designed and facilitated STEM pedagogy workshops for educators across India — training modules, hands-on activity kits and follow-up support resources.
- 450+ educators trained
- Resource Person & Judge, National Children Science Congress 2018
Educational Research on Student Engagement
Mixed-methods research on making environmental studies engaging for elementary students — classroom observations, student interviews and data analysis.
- Published in ASE International & epiSTEME8 proceedings
Innovation Labs & Maker Spaces
Established innovation labs in partner schools with hands-on STEM activities, complete maker-space resources and regular educator workshops for project-based learning.
- Sustained educator engagement & student participation
Postgraduate STEM Workshop Series
Coordinated multi-session postgraduate academic workshops in an HBCSE, TIFR × YCMOU partnership — logistics, curriculum delivery, faculty coordination and participant support.
- High participant satisfaction & successful completion
Skills & Expertise
A toolkit built across classrooms, labs & product rooms.
Program & Leadership
Program / Project Management
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Strategy Implementation
Vendor Coordination & Logistics
Stakeholder Engagement
CSR Partnerships
School Collaboration
Donor Relations
Client Communication
Curriculum & Educator Development
NEP-aligned Curriculum Design
STEM Resource Development
Teacher Capacity Building
Mentorship
Data, Monitoring & Evaluation
Survey Design
Outcome Tracking & Evaluation
Data Analysis & Impact Reporting
Communication & Outreach
Proposal & Concept Note Writing
Workshop Delivery
Outreach Content
Branding
Tools & Tech Platforms
Project Management
JiraNotionMonday.comGoogle WorkspaceMS Office
LMS & Authoring
MoodleLMSiSpring SuiteEdPuzzlePlayPosit
Design & Content
CanvaStripoAI Tools
Publications & Presentations
Research that reaches real classrooms.
Activity-based Environmental Studies Handbook
School Science Research and Development, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR
2024
Curiosity Gym's STEM program's learning outcomes
Educators Conference — Educonclave, Pune Knowledge Centre | IISER Pune
2024
Making environmental studies engaging for elementary school students
Shinde, R., Muralidhar, A., & Chunawala, S. (2020). ASE International, Issue 10, 45–57.
2020
PDF
Students' engagement with a chapter on ‘Food Preservation’
Karandikar, R., & Shinde, R. (2020). epiSTEME8 (pp. 362–69). India: HBCSE.
2020
PDF
Designing and making roller coasters by Indian middle school students
Malhotra-Dalvi, A., Muralidhar, A., Dolas, A., Shinde, R., & Chunawala, S. (2020). epiSTEME8 (pp. 199–201). India: HBCSE.
2020
PDF
Structure and dynamics insights of Human Skp1 protein and its role in recognition of F-box binding partner in SCF complex
Shinde, R., Kachariya, N., Chandra, S. (2016). NCBS Bangalore.
2016
Education
Grounded in science, trained in learning design.
PG Diploma in Instructional Design (PGDID)
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning
M.Sc. Biotechnology
St. Xavier's College, Mumbai
B.Sc. Biotechnology
G.N. Khalsa College, Mumbai University
Recommendations
Kind words from collaborators.
I had the pleasure of working with Rupali for nearly three years at HBCSE, Mumbai. Rupali is creative and courageous in testing new ideas, which she executes well. She is always eager to learn more and openly shares her newly acquired knowledge with others in her team. Rupali is a self-motivated and dedicated educator. Her productive and optimistic attitude makes her an asset to any team.
RK
Dr. Rohini KarandikarAssociate Director, IndiaBiosciences
Rupali's background in science and curiosity to learn design and its applications in STEM made her a perfect fit for the lab as we developed TLMs for both teachers and school children. She was very popular with children with her innovative ways of interacting with them and equally managed teacher workshops very efficiently. I always found her enthusiastic and committed towards her work and she always delivered before the deadline.
AM
Dr. Anisha Malhotra-DalviPost Doctoral Fellow, HBCSE, TIFR
Beyond Work
Causes & curiosities.
Social Emotional Learning
Volunteer with Apni Shala (NGO) — localized SEL content for diverse learners.
2020Community Health & Research
Volunteer with Cancer Aid and Research Foundation (NGO).
2012–13Student-Centered Writing
Authoring educational content for young audiences on MySphere.
2022–24Get in Touch
Let's build what's next in STEM education.
Open to conversations about STEM programs, curriculum strategy, educator development and EdTech products. The fastest way to reach me is email or LinkedIn.
Email[email protected]
Phone+91 82868 06564
LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/rupali-shinde
MySpheremysphere.net/author/rupali
LocationMumbai, Maharashtra, India