Host City India: Los Angeles

Prashant Ram Jadhao

Dr. Prashant Ram Jadhao is a postdoctoral researcher at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Previously, he worked as a project scientist at the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology, Hyderabad. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, Maharashtra. Subsequently, he pursued his master’s and doctoral degrees at IIT Delhi.

Dr. Jadhao has received the prestigious Gandhian Young Technological Innovation appreciation award. Additionally, in 2022, he was conferred the Sumant Sinha Sustainability Leadership Award by IIT Delhi for his outstanding contribution to research in the domains of sustainability, environment, and climate change. His research endeavors have garnered recognition on both national and international platforms.

During his Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research at the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Jadhao is developing eco-friendly technology for recycling of spent batteries. The exponential increase in the use of electronic devices and electric vehicles has resulted in increased battery production, leading to a significant volume of spent batteries. These spent batteries contain valuable metals and potentially hazardous materials. Ensuring the sustainable management of spent batteries is crucial for resource recovery, conservation, and the mitigation of environmental hazards.

Sumeet Anand

Dr. Sumeet Anand is a performing vocalist of the extant form of Hindustani classical music, Dhrupad. He is also a methodical teacher and a meticulous researcher, a distinguishing combination. He received early training from his grandfathers (including noted vocalist Pandit Siyaram Tiwari) and advanced his skills under the tutelage of Pandit Abhay Narayan Mallick of Darbhanga-Mallick Dhrupad tradition.

A familiar name in major music festivals across India, Dr. Anand also broadcasts from AIR, Delhi. He is an empaneled performer with ICCR and has toured extensively across Europe. He has delivered lecture-demonstrations at UCLA, NID Haryana, NSD, and IHC New Delhi. He received fellowships from the Government of India and the Government of Delhi, and completed his research on Dhrupad, it’s evolutionary history and pedagogical shifts.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award (Research and Teaching) fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Anand is sharing the theoretical and practical aspects of Hindustani classical Dhrupad with his students. The fellowship will enable him to be a part of a truly global music community chance, and get introduced to music genres like jazz, western classical, African, Thai, and Turkish music traditions which will be an enriching experience for his artistic development. He will also be undertaking minor research under Prof. Anna Morcom on the evolving performance repertoire of Dhrupad.