Shyamala "Shya" Chitaley (15 February 1918 – 31 March 2013) was an Indian American Paleobotanist who had a nearly 60-year career of teaching and research in both the United States and India.
[3] As was traditional at the time, she married Dinkar Vaman Chitaley, a corporate lawyer,[2] at a fairly young age.
[3] While she faced discouragement and even physical threats about her higher education from some,[2] she continued to pursue her studies with her husband Dinkar's encouragement.
[5] Following her retirement from the Institute of Science, Bombay in 1978, Chitaley and her husband traveled to the United States to visit one of their sons who lived near Cleveland, Ohio.
[3] While searching for a teaching job in the United States, Chitaley became an American citizen and sold Avon Products door-to-door.