Meenakshi Shukla
| Grant Category: | Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowships (Research) |
| Project Title: | Unravelling the role of cardiovascular emotional dampening in explaining immigration paradox and acculturation strategy choices among first-generation Indian immigrants in the US |
| Field of Study: | Psychology |
| Home Institution: | University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh |
| Host Institution: | Middle Tennessee State University , Murfreesboro, TN |
| Grant Start Month: | September 2025 |
| Duration of Grant: | Nine months |
Brief Bio:
Dr. Meenakshi Shukla is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, India, with more than seven years of teaching and research experience. Her research interests involve exploring the relationship of emotions and emotional disorders with health. Her research delves into the intriguing phenomenon of cardiovascular emotional dampening, exploring how challenges in recognizing emotions relate to elevated blood pressure.
Dr. Shukla has completed her graduation, post-graduation, and PhD from Banaras Hindu University. She was awarded the Junior and Senior Research Fellowships by the University Grants Commission of India to pursue her PhD research. She has been the recipient of the Commonwealth Split-site (PhD) Scholarship in 2016-2017 by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) to carry out a part of her doctoral research work at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, United Kingdom. She is a member of the CSC Alumni Advisory Panel.
Dr. Shukla’s Fulbright-Nehru project investigates the role of cardiovascular emotional dampening — a reduced ability to recognize emotions linked to elevated blood pressure — in shaping the cultural adaptation and health of first-generation Indian immigrants in the United States. It examines whether cardiovascular emotional dampening influences the choice of acculturation strategies (assimilation, integration, separation, or marginalization) among Indian immigrants and how these strategies impact their long-term cardiovascular health. The study also examines the “immigration paradox”, exploring why recent Indian immigrants often have better health than long-term residents despite greater stressors.