Host City USA: Mumbai

Supriya Mahajan

Dr. Supriya Mahajan is an associate professor (with tenure) in the Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo (UB), New York. She also holds adjunct appointments in biomedical informatics and chemical and biological engineering and serves as director of research for the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology. Dr. Mahajan earned her PhD in endocrinology and metabolism from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and later completed her MPH in global health and epidemiology from the University at Buffalo. She completed her postdoctoral training at Case Western Reserve University and UB, specializing in endocrinology, metabolism, immunology, and translational biomedical research. Over the course of more than three decades, Dr. Mahajan has developed an internationally recognized research program spanning immunology, neuroinflammation, microbiome science, infectious diseases, nanomedicine, public health, and translational medicine. Her work focuses on understanding microbial communities, inflammation, immune dysfunction, and chronic diseases, with particular emphasis on HIV-associated comorbidities, neurodegenerative disorders, and precision medicine approaches. She has served as principal investigator, coinvestigator, and mentor on numerous NIH research projects and has contributed extensively to interdisciplinary collaborations across the United States and internationally.

Dr. Mahajan has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, nine book chapters, over 95 scientific abstracts, and holds a U.S. patent. Her scholarly contributions have garnered more than 9,400 citations, with an h-index of 52. She has served on numerous NIH, NSF, and the U.S. Department of Defense review panels and is an active member of several professional societies. A dedicated educator and mentor, she teaches graduate-level courses in microbiome informatics, metagenomics informatics, and public health informatics. Her current interests include microbiome-host interactions, neuroinflammation, precision public health, bioinformatics, global health, and the development of innovative technologies for disease detection, prevention, and treatment.

Dr. Mahajan’s Fulbright Global Scholar project is advancing international collaboration to address global water challenges through AI‑driven analysis of chemical and microbial data. As the principal investigator, she is leading a multidisciplinary team in partnership with IIT Bombay, the University of Sydney, and the University of the Western Cape to develop and field‑test an integrated optics-based automated water‑quality sensing platform across diverse sites in India, Australia, and South Africa. The project aims to strengthen global academic partnerships, build research capacity, and deliver a scalable real‑time monitoring framework to inform water‑safety policies and enhance infrastructure resilience worldwide.

Madhura Shembekar

Madhura Shembekar, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, is a recent graduate from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service with a degree in science, technology, and international affairs (concentration: energy/environment), and a minor in Spanish. She has strong research interests in climate adaptation, sustainable urban development, and environmental migration and displacement. She has worked for the Kuskokwim Watershed Coalition, conducting a risk assessment of mercury mobilization in Alaska, and for the Georgetown Climate Center, researching state- and local-level climate adaptation policy.

At Georgetown University, she was awarded honors for completion of a thesis on climate-induced migration and displacement in South Asia. A Lannan Fellow, Sustainable Business Fellow (McDonough School of Business), and a Krogh Honors Scholar, Madhura is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Sigma Nu honor societies. For her work on environmental issues, she was also given the Lena Landegger Community Service Award. Madhura is an avid tennis enthusiast and loves to dance.

Madhura’s Fulbright-Nehru research project is studying the role of civil society groups and nongovernmental organizations in shaping coastal adaptation and urban resilience in Mumbai. In particular, her project is examining the adoption of “natural” infrastructure, sometimes termed “blue-green” infrastructure, such as urban wetlands and water plazas, as an alternative to traditional structures. Through mixed-methods research involving interviews of civil society organizations and analysis of gray literature, she aims to understand public perceptions about such infrastructure, barriers to its adoption, and its potential for supporting coastal resilience and adaptation. The project consolidates Madhura’s interest in inclusive urban development and community-based adaptation policy.

Nandini Krishnamoorthy

Nandini Krishnamoorthy received her BA in community health from Tufts University in May 2026. Having grown up in Mumbai and later moving to the United States for college, she is particularly interested in understanding how social, environmental, and structural factors shape health across different communities and contexts.

During her time at Tufts, she explored the intersections of clinical medicine, public health, and research. Alongside clinical work as a medical assistant, she contributed to research projects spanning global mental health, HIV medication adherence, maternal health equity, and global clinical research ethics. As a Tufts Laidlaw Scholar, Nandini conducted a qualitative research project examining mental health in urban informal settlements in Mumbai, India. She has also held research and internship positions with the Fenway Institute, Boston Medical Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Center for Global Health Equity, the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard, and the Tufts University School of Medicine.

Outside of her academic and professional work, Nandini was a member of a competitive dance team and has been actively involved in South Asian advocacy and affinity spaces. She also loves to read, crochet/knit, and sing.

Nandini’s Fulbright-Nehru research project is a qualitative study of perinatal mental health in Mandala, an informal settlement in Mumbai. Building on the work of Partners for Urban Knowledge, Action and Research (PUKAR), a local organization, she is collaborating with community members and “barefoot” researchers to examine how women understand distress, seek support, and navigate care.

Arushi Kende

Arushi Kende is a recent graduate from Cornell University, where she studied Asian studies and pursued research interests in seva, altruism, ecological ethics, and community-based models of care. Her work focuses on how Indian religious communities cultivate self-sustaining cultures of service, especially through practices such as free kitchens, farmer support, elder care, forest schools, and other forms of community-led relief. For her honors assignment, she conducted ethnographic fieldwork across Maharashtra and Uttarakhand, visiting 15 ashrams and seva projects to study how service is practiced as both a spiritual discipline and as a social framework.

Arushi was involved in interfaith and service initiatives at Cornell, where she was president of Hindu YUVA and an interfaith ambassador. Her community education work spans both practical and academic forms of teaching, from leading cooking and local sustainability lessons for community members to supporting elementary students in reading and high school students in essay writing. Her broader interests include sant literature, Indic educational and service traditions, ecological connection, rural sustainability, and the relationship between religion and social change. Through her scholarship and service work, she aims to build mutual exchange between India and the United States around compassionate, resilient, and regenerative forms of altruism.

Building on her earlier exploratory fieldwork, Arushi’s Fulbright-Nehru project is examining seva not simply as “selfless service,” but as a cultivated moral and social form. Through sustained ethnographic research among selected religious communities in Maharashtra, she is studying how seva is reproduced through discipline, storytelling, communal labor, devotional practice, institutional life, and personal narrative. The project is delving into how sevaks negotiate self-effacement and agency, how communities sustain non-market obligations without reducing service to debt or patronage, and how recipients interpret care as charity, grace, kinship, reciprocity, or participation in a shared moral world.

Arunima Singh

Prof. Arunima Singh is an associate professor of physics and a graduate faculty member in the Materials Science and Engineering program at Arizona State University. She received her PhD from Cornell University and held postdoctoral appointments at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Prof. Singh has received notable accolades, including the Department of Energy Early Career Research Program Award, The Mineral, Metal, and Materials Society (TMS) Young Leaders Professional Development Award, and the Department of Defense Faculty Fellowship. Her research integrates first-principles computational methods and artificial intelligence to accelerate materials discovery, synthesis, and applications, with an emphasis on understanding and controlling physical phenomena at the surfaces and interfaces of materials.

Prof. Singh’s Fulbright-Nehru research project is focusing on accelerating the discovery of quantum–semiconductor material heterostructures for the next-generation spintronic, neuromorphic, sensing, and topological devices. By combining machine learning, high-throughput first-principles simulations, and molecular beam epitaxy, the project is designing and fabricating atomically precise interfaces with controllable electronic properties. This integrated approach is expected to reveal the fundamental rules governing the complex interfaces in quantum–semiconductor heterostructures, establish advanced growth protocols through advanced synthesis methods, and lead to stable materials platforms for energy-efficient and scalable quantum technologies.

Tanushree Mitra

Dr. Tanushree Mitra is an associate professor at the University of Washington’s Information School, where she leads the Social Computing and Algorithmic Experiences (SCALE) lab group. Her research focus is on human-centered AI and responsible AI wherein she combines computational techniques, AI, natural language processing (NLP), and social science principles to study the complex social processes underlying human–human and human–computer interactions in large-scale online systems. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she draws from a range of methods from the fields of human–computer interactions, large-scale data analytics, machine learning, and AI. Her work consistently centers human impact, interpretability, and the translation of research into real-world governance and safety solutions. Dr. Mitra’s research has been recognized through multiple honors, including an NSF-CAREER, an NSF-CRII, an early career ONR-YIP, and an Adamic-Glance Distinguished Young Researcher awards, along with several best paper awards. She received her PhD in computer science from Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing.

Dr. Mitra’s Fulbright-Nehru project is examining how generative AI systems, such as large language and text-to-image models, reproduce sociocultural biases and misalignments, especially in high-stakes domains in Global South contexts. In partnership with the host institution, the project is developing methodologies to audit AI systems for cultural risks, and is building mixed-initiative workflows by combining machine intelligence, crowd workers, and experts to evaluate those risks at scale. The expected outcomes include new sociocultural AI audit frameworks, datasets, and evaluation metrics, culturally grounded AI capabilities, scalable annotation systems, peer-reviewed research, and strengthened international collaborations focused on responsible, equitable, and globally inclusive AI development.

Manisha Javeri

Dr. Manisha Javeri is professor and chair of the educational technology program at the Charter College of Education, California State University, where she has served for over two decades. She holds a PhD in educational technology from the University of Northern Colorado, and advanced degrees in physical chemistry and education from the University of Mumbai.

Her work focuses on the integration of emerging technologies, particularly AI, in teaching and learning across K–12 and higher education. She has designed and taught an early graduate-level course on AI in education and has led curriculum development in areas like online learning, instructional design, virtual and augmented reality, and data-driven decision-making. In her role as program chair, she oversees academic planning, accreditation, and strategic initiatives for graduate programs in educational technology.

Dr. Javeri’s scholarship is complemented by a strong commitment to international and interdisciplinary education. At California State University, she developed one of the first undergraduate courses on peace and conflict resolution by integrating digital tools, data, and global perspectives to examine conflict, sustainability, and humanitarian challenges.

Dr. Javeri’s research and professional contributions extend globally, with projects linking technology to humanitarian and sustainability efforts in Africa and Asia. A Rotary Peace Fellow, she has worked on international initiatives involving peacebuilding, environmental sustainability, and technology-enabled community development. She has also collaborated with the Clinton Global Initiative and UNESCO-related efforts, and has led projects ranging from solar energy interventions in Mozambique to technology integration programs for educators in Botswana.

She is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Rotary International World Peace Fellowship and recognition as a Global Peace Ambassador. Her current scholarly interests include AI in education, human performance technology, interdisciplinary applications of technology, and equitable access to digital learning in diverse and multicultural contexts. Through her teaching, research, and collaborations, she continues to advance innovative, ethical, and globally informed approaches to educational technology.

Dr. Javeri’s Fulbright-Nehru project is examining the integration of AI in graduate educational technology programs through a comparative study between California State University and SNDT Women’s University in Mumbai. The project is combining teaching and research, including delivering AI-focused courses and conducting mixed-methods research on curriculum design, student outcomes, and institutional contexts. By analyzing similarities and differences across the U.S. and India, the project aims to develop innovative, ethical, and culturally responsive AI curriculum frameworks while fostering long-term academic collaboration and advancing global best practices in AI in education.

Udita Gupta

Dr. Udita Gupta is a clinical associate professor in the Urban Institute for Teacher Education (UITE) at the University of Utah’s College of Education, where she is working in the field of teacher preparation and secondary mathematics education. She began her career as a statistics lecturer in India. She completed her PhD in educational psychology (learning sciences) from the University of Utah. Dr. Gupta brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by her academic and professional experience in both India and the United States, and is fluent in both Hindi and English. Her research focus is on the cognitive load incurred in STEM learning; reflective practices; global competency development; community-engaged learning; and the integration of artificial intelligence in teacher preparation. She is particularly interested in how culturally responsive pedagogy, global perspectives, and AI-enhanced instructional strategies can strengthen preservice and in-service teacher education. She has published scholarly work and led faculty development initiatives in these areas.

Dr. Gupta’s Fulbright-Nehru project has three major components: strengthening preservice teacher preparation and secondary mathematics teaching methods through direct classroom teaching, workshops, and seminars for both preservice and in-service teachers in India; collaborating with Indian faculty on developing a curriculum that integrates culturally responsive pedagogy, global aspects, and AI into teacher education; and building enduring academic partnerships between Indian and U.S. institutions through sustained mentorship and capacity building in STEM teacher education. Aligned with India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 reforms that emphasize critical thinking over rote learning, the project is working toward strengthening STEM teacher preparation through inquiry-driven, student-centered strategies, and adopting global practices like COIL – Collaborative Online International Learning.

Suraj Muley

Dr. Suraj Muley is a neurologist and internationally recognized expert in neuromuscular medicine, neuroimmunology, myasthenia gravis, and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). He serves as director of neurology at Bob Bové Neuroscience Institute at HonorHealth and is professor of medicine at Arizona State University School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering. Dr. Muley completed his medical education at Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College, Mumbai, which was followed by research training in pharmacology and residency and fellowship training in neurology, clinical neurophysiology, and neuromuscular diseases at the University of Minnesota. He is board certified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology, and neuromuscular medicine.

Over a distinguished academic career spanning more than three decades, Dr. Muley has held major leadership roles at the University of Minnesota, Barrow Neurological Institute, and HonorHealth, including directing neuromuscular, neuroimmunology, fellowship, and residency programs. His clinical and research interests focus on immune-mediated neuromuscular disorders, with emphasis on novel targeted therapies for myasthenia gravis and CIDP. He has served as principal investigator or co-investigator on numerous national and international clinical trials in neuromuscular diseases.

Dr. Muley has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, invited reviews, and international presentations in neuromuscular medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN), Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP), and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCP Edin). His honors include multiple teaching and research awards.

Dr. Muley’s Fulbright-Nehru project is focusing on advancing neuromuscular medicine and neuroimmunology in India through collaborative teaching, research, and clinical training. Working with leading academic medical centers in Mumbai, his project emphasizes inflammatory neuropathies and myasthenia gravis, with particular focus on advanced electrophysiological techniques and emerging targeted therapies. The project aims to strengthen subspecialty education, promote collaborative clinical research, and develop sustainable academic partnerships between Indian and U.S. institutions. By leveraging India’s large and diverse patient population, the project seeks to improve understanding and treatment of immune-mediated neurological disorders while fostering long-term global collaboration in neuroscience.

Nita Sahai

Prof. Nita Sahai’s research focuses on the physical–chemical aspects of biomolecular and inorganic ion interactions at mineral surfaces in processes relevant to the origins of life and astrobiology, environmental geochemistry, and biomaterials science. She earned her PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1997. Following an NSF postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Maryland, Prof. Sahai became a full professor in the Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin–Madison, from 2000 to 2011. She has been with the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, University of Akron, since 2011, and holds joint appointments in the departments of geosciences and biology, and in the Integrated Bioscience Program. Prof. Sahai holds the Ohio Research Scholar Endowed Chair, Biomaterials, and is a fellow of CIFAR (Canadian Institute for Advanced Research). She was also a fellow and a distinguished lecturer of the Mineralogical Society of America. Her research has been supported by such prestigious institutions as the NSF and NASA. She is also the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and the Romnes Faculty Fellowship. Prof. Sahai has served on the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Astrobiology and Planetary Science, which advises NASA. In 2020, she was featured in Fireball, an award-winning documentary on meteorites and the evolution of life and human society on Earth. She has been interviewed on the National Public Radio and on the Public Broadcasting Service. Prof. Sahai has served/is currently serving on several editorial boards, including those of Astrobiology, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, and American Mineralogist. She has guest-edited a volume, Medical Mineralogy and Geochemistry (in the well-known Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry Series), and two thematic issues of the Elements magazine. She is a keen history buff and studies philosophy as a hobby.

Dr. Sahai’s Fulbright-Nehru project is exploring how, before life and enzymes, protometabolism emerged. It is exploring mechanisms to synthesize the ATP molecule using metal-ion catalysts. The project is collaborating with the microbiologist Prof. Amitesh Anand (TIFR, Mumbai) and the chemist Prof. Sudha Rajmani (IISER Pune).