Host City USA: Bengaluru

Sankarasubramanian Arumugam

Prof. Sankarasubramanian Arumugam is a faculty at North Carolina State University. His primary research interest lies in understanding, modeling, and forecasting large-scale hydroclimate information and utilizing that information for improved food, water, energy nexus. In this context, he has developed both physical and stochastic models in hydroclimatology, as well as stochastic optimization models for incorporating climate information into water, energy and crop-water management models. He received his PhD in water resources engineering from Tufts University in 2001. After that, he worked as a postdoctoral research scientist and as associate research scientist at Columbia University’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society. He has also worked as a consultant for the World Bank focusing on the role of environmental impact assessment in improving development projects.

Dr. Arumugam has published more than 120 refereed articles in various top-tier journals such as Water Resources Research, Earth’s Future, and Journal of Geophysical Research. He has mentored 9 postdoctoral scientists, 21 PhD students, and 5 MS students. He has served as the lead principal investigator for various interdisciplinary flagship initiatives of the National Science Foundation (NSF) on climate and sustainability. He has received the prestigious CAREER award from NSF. Dr. Arumugam has also led an AGU Chapman International Conference on seasonal hydroclimatic predictions and water management.

He is currently serving as an associate editor with Geophysical Research Letters and has served on the editorial board of publications like Water Resources Research and Journal of Hydrology. Apart from serving on several NSF panels, he was a panelist for the NAS workshop on utilizing water-use information. He has also led several workshops for the USGS Powell Center and the World Meteorological Organization.

Dr. Arumugam’s Fulbright-Kalam project is pursuing four key research activities: developing a national assessment of Food, Water and Energy Systems (FEWS) security; synthesizing opportunities and challenges to improve FEWS resilience under near-term climate change; capacity building of agencies on state-of-the-art models in FEWS research through workshops; and training next-gen scientists through short-term courses on utilizing hydroclimatic information for improving FEWS resilience.

John Lesieutre

Prof. John Lesieutre is an associate professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania State University, working in the field of algebraic geometry. He completed his education from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, after which he held a postdoctoral position at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research focus is on the geometry of higher-dimensional algebraic varieties, which are sets of solutions to systems of polynomial equations in many variables. He is particularly interested in how symmetries of the solution sets of these systems can shed light on the geometry of the underlying systems of equations. He has published numerous articles in this field.

Prof. Lesieutre’s Fulbright-Nehru project has three major components: to initiate a new research collaboration on the algebraic aspects of K-stability with a researcher at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc); to teach an informal mini course for IISc graduate students on algebraic dynamics; and to continue his studies on algebraic dynamics.

Ana Enriquez

Ms. Ana Enriquez is a librarian and lawyer who advocates for copyright law and research practices that enable all people to access and contribute to research. She is the copyright officer and head of the Office of Scholarly Communications and Copyright in the University Libraries at Pennsylvania State University. At Penn State, she manages the implementation of the university’s open access policy and the library services for researchers on scholarly communications and copyright.

Ms. Enriquez has been teaching copyright for 12 years, most recently for CopyrightX: Libraries, a global network of copyright courses for people working in libraries, archives, and museums around the world. She has also taught for the Library Copyright Institute and the Association of College and Research Libraries (U.S.). Her research focuses on making copyright work for libraries and researchers, and on using library expertise to advance access to knowledge. She has published, presented, and submitted comments to U.S. federal agencies on these topics. She holds a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, and an AB in history and literature from Harvard College.

Ms. Enriquez’s Fulbright-Nehru project is attempting to advance access to knowledge by strengthening shared understanding among U.S. and Indian lawyers and librarians. At the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, she is co-teaching a copyright course with Professor Arul Scaria and also offering a course for librarians. Besides, she is creating course materials to enrich her own future teaching assignments and sharing them for broad reuse by copyright teachers, including those at CopyrightX. In parallel with teaching, Ms. Enriquez is advancing her research on copyright law and access to knowledge, with a particular focus on copyright’s impact on libraries, archives, and museums under Indian and U.S. law.

Jayaraman Sivaguru

Dr. Jayaraman Sivaguru is a distinguished university professor at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Ohio. His recognitions include the 2008 NSF CAREER award, the 2010 Grammaticakis-Neumann Prize from the Swiss Chemical Society, and the young investigator awards from the Inter-American Photochemical Society (2011) and Sigma-Xi (2012). Besides, he won the 2012 Peltier Award for Innovation in Teaching from NDSU. He was a visiting young professor at the Global Centre for Excellence, Osaka University, and was also visiting fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences under the President’s International Fellowship Initiative. He serves as the American editor for the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry and as the co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. In 2021, he was awarded the Honda-Fujishima Lectureship by the Japanese Photochemistry Association for outstanding achievement in photochemistry. In 2023, he received the Olscamp Award from BGSU. In 2025, he was named as the 48th Probst Lecturer at SIUE. Dr. Sivaguru is a member of the International Organizing Committee for the IAPS-2026 meeting in Sao Paulo and will also co-chair the 2027 Gordon Conference on Photochemistry.

His research interests include: uncovering new excited state chemical reactivity; light-induced axial to central chiral transfer; asymmetric organo-photocatalysis; supramolecular photocatalysis with water-soluble nanocontainers; light-responsive materials for polymer circularity; development of high-efficiency photoinitiators; and designing light-initiated strategies for eye protection and ophthalmic applications (e.g. contact lenses and other eyewear).

Dr. Sivaguru is passionate about helping students to gravitate toward STEM disciplines. Toward this, in 2007, he launched an outreach program called PICNICS (Parents Involvement with Children Nurturing Intellectual Curiosity in Sciences).

For his Fulbright-Nehru project, Prof. Sivaguru is collaborating with Prof. N. Jayaraman of the Indian Institute of Science on photochemical aspects within dendritic systems. He is also collaborating with Prof. Ashok Mishra at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras on photophysical studies. Besides, Prof. Sivaguru is holding classes on photochemistry. He is also evaluating the feasibility of adapting PICNICS to an Indian setting.

Neha Lodha

Dr. Neha Lodha is an engineer-turned-neuroscientist. She is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science and the School of Biomedical Engineering at Colorado State University (CSU). She earned her PhD in kinesiology from the University of Florida, following a BTech in information and communication technology from DA-IICT, Gandhinagar, India.

Dr. Lodha directs the Laboratory of Movement Neuroscience and Rehabilitation at CSU. Her research applies approaches in cognitive aging, movement neuroscience, and neurorehabilitation with the goal of improving functional independence, mobility, and overall well-being of individuals facing age-related or neurological challenges. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges biomechanics, neuroscience, and digital health to better understand and support cognitive and physical functioning in everyday life. Her current work in her lab focuses on identifying early indicators of reduced mobility and cognitive performance. This includes examining how people move in their daily environments, how their cognitive and motor systems interact, and how technology can assist in rehabilitation and health monitoring. Complementing her research, Dr. Lodha leads community outreach through her lab’s initiatives. These include mobility assessments and fall-prevention screenings for older adults, as well as educational programs for students interested in science and engineering.

Dr. Lodha has authored over 50 scholarly publications, including 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, and her work has been cited more than 3,400 times. She has a strong track record in securing external research funding as a principal investigator, having obtained competitive awards from agencies like the National Institute on Aging, the American Heart Association, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

The global rise of dementia significantly affects populations in low- and middle-income countries. In communities with limited access to formal education and healthcare, cognitive impairments often go undiagnosed. Most current assessments cater to English-speaking and literate individuals and are not effective for people in other contexts. Dr. Lodha’s Fulbright-Nehru project is developing a performance-based tool designed to work across language and education levels within the Indian population. The project’s primary aim is to improve early detection of cognitive decline.

Jamie Barber

Prof. Jamie Barber holds a position in the academic and professional writing program at the University at Buffalo where she also served as the interim director of the Journalism Certificate Program in 2021-2022. Prof. Barber’s work in the classroom aims to decenter concepts of “normal” in order to invite students to leverage their diverse backgrounds and abilities as they develop their writing skills. She recently taught a class titled “Writing for Change” in which students learned research and writing skills while trying to enact change on a real-world problem that intersected with their interests and identities. These writing students extended the impact of their writing and learning by creating multimodal “campaigns” to get the word out about their change-making ideas. Students created activist-centered zines, podcasts, infographics, and other documents that extended beyond text-based communication. Prof. Barber is currently co-designing a first-year writing course in which students will explore their language backgrounds while speculating on what linguistic justice might look like in academic and professional writing contexts.

Prof. Barber’s creative work often focuses on interactions between humans and the more-than-human world. Her essay “The Trouble with Cockroaches” explores tension between a “do-no-harm” attitude and a cockroach infestation. Her essay “Accepting Impermanence” speculates that ancient people may have advice for a new mother. Prof. Barber is also developing her journalism portfolio, recently writing about earthquake research for Temblor, and about the Buffalo, NY community for Buffalo Rising.

Prof. Barber’s Fulbright-Nehru project seeks to build a collaborative framework between students, educators, artists, designers, and scientists. She plans to work with the Science Gallery Bengaluru, an institution already engaged in powerful connections between the arts and the sciences, to build workshops that will connect students to this collaborative framework. Students will learn science while they engage in multimodal science communication projects.

Sofya Yuditskaya

Ms. Sofya Yuditskaya is a site-specific media artist, curator, and educator working with sound, video, interactivity, projections, code, paper, and salvaged material. Her work focuses on techno-occult rituals, street performance, and participatory art. Ms. Yuditskaya’s performances enact and reframe hegemonies, she works with materials that exemplify our deep entanglement with petro-culture and technology’s effect on consciousness. She has worked on projects at Eyebeam, 3LD, the Netherlands Institute voor Media Kunst, Steim, ARS Electronica, Games for Learning Institute, The Guggenheim (NYC), The National Mall and has taught at GAFFTA, MoMA, NYU, Srishti, and the Rubin Museum. She is a PhD Candidate in Music Composition at NYU GSAS.

Ms. Yuditskaya Fulbright-Nehru project is focusing on an in-depth, detailed and immersive study of global Noise Music through the lens of the remarkable contemporary Indian contribution to it. Noise Music is vitally important to understand its global forms, structures and driving forces. In today’s measured world, it embodies a fulcrum of technology, chaos, and the sublime. Living and studying in Bangalore offers her a deep insight into the ways that South Indian artists listen to and construct Noise Music. Ms. Yuditskaya aims to develop a rich vocabulary for talking about, and teaching Noise, in the framework of traditional music and in conversation with U.S. musical output.

Anna Correa

Ms. Anna Correa is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa College of Public Health where she received a Masters of Public Health in Community and Behavioral Health. She previously completed bachelor’s degrees in public health and international relations (transnational issues emphasis) at the University of Iowa. Ms. Correa’s educational background includes work in migration, qualitative research methods, and community-engaged public health. During her time in college, Ms. Correa worked for the University of Iowa Prevention Research Center for Rural Health where she assisted in the implementation of a community-based physical activity program. She is the Principal Investigator for a research study examining the impact of COVID-19 on student resident assistants in university dorms.

Outside of academics, Ms. Correa was deeply involved in her community, serving as the President for Iowa Agni South Asian A Cappella group, Co-Chair of the University Lecture Committee, and member of many additional groups. In 2021, Ms. Correa began studying Hindi through the Critical Language Scholarship and will continue her studies in 2022 with the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship.

Ms. Correa loves people, and she tries to get to know everyone she can. She looks forward to her time in Bangalore and hopes to meet many new friends in her time there.

As Bangalore continues to grow, the migrant population increases but the support for migrant laborer well-being has not kept pace. Ms. Correa, as part of her Fulbright-Nehru project, aims to conduct qualitative research with three unique migrant groups: i) construction workers, ii) artisans, and iii) information technology employees. In doing so, Ms. Correa hopes to better understand the needs of migrant laborers in the city and build relationships between researchers at St. John’s and members of the migrant worker community.

Rumaan Malhotra

Dr. Rumaan Malhotra is a wildlife biologist with a background in endangered species conservation. More recently, he has been interested in the spatial ecology of human-tolerant species. Currently, he studies how various human impacts interact in their effects on native carnivores such as foxes and small wildcats. In particular, he is interested in the role of domestic dogs in driving native carnivore space usage. He earned his PhD from the University of Michigan, and his bachelor’s from Drexel University. Dr. Malhotra carried out his doctoral work in Southern Chile, where he found that agricultural landscapes were preferentially used by dogs, which affected where native foxes were found. As an avid photographer, Dr. Malhotra always has a camera in hand to document the landscapes, in which he works, and their wild inhabitants.

Dr. Malhotra aims to be studying the movement ecology of free-ranging domestic dogs in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh. He will be determining if distinct groups of dogs can be identified by their movement behavior, and if their movement corresponds with where threat of disease spillover is concentrated for humans and wildlife (specifically, rabies and canine distemper), with the spatial use of wildlife, and with livestock mortality.

Sandip Mazumder

Dr. Sandip Mazumder is professor and associate chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering at The Ohio State University (OSU). He joined OSU in March 2004. Prior to OSU, he was employed at the CFD Research Corporation in Huntsville, AL, for seven years. He is one of the architects and early developers of the commercial code, CFD-ACE+™. His research is computational in nature and spans three main areas: computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer emphasizing on chemical reactions, with applications in combustion, catalytic conversion, fuel cells, batteries, and chemical vapor deposition; thermal radiation and its applications; and non-equilibrium transport phenomena as occurring in nanoscale systems. He has been active in raising awareness about global warming and climate change among engineering students and the general public through his classroom teaching and seminars. Dr. Mazumder is the author of two graduate-level textbooks, more than 65 journal papers, and over 65 peer-reviewed conference publications. He is the recipient of the McCarthy Engineering Teaching Award and the Lumley Research Award from the OSU College of Engineering. He has also been a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers since 2011.

In light of the fact that the U.S. and India are ranked second and third, respectively, among the highest carbon dioxide-producing nations, Dr. Mazumder’s Fulbright-Kalam project involves a collaborative one-semester part-teaching, part-research stint at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. For this, he is creating and deploying two modules with the objective of increasing awareness about global warming and its causes among the future engineering workforce in both the countries. While the teaching module has a short ambit, the research module, titled “Hierarchical Models for Atmospheric Solar Radiation Transport and Earth’s Temperature Predictions”, is attempting to answer long-standing questions on the impact of greenhouse gases on global warming.