Host City USA: New Delhi

Kaya Mallick

Kaya Mallick is an anthropologist of religion who studies the interrelation between yoga and gender. She holds an MA in South Asia studies from the University of Washington, where she was a two-time Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow in Hindi/ Urdu. She is also a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (200-RYT) and creator of The Woke Yogi, a yoga lifestyle blog. Kaya’s scholarship largely centers around female practitioners of the Hindu ascetic traditions of yoga and tantra, but she is also currently researching the role of yoga in hyper-masculine nationalist iconographies.

Kaya is a devout scholar, teacher, and practitioner of yoga who spends much of her free time on her mat. She has been teaching vinyasa and yin-style yoga for six years, and her classes seek to integrate the psychosomatic practice of modern postural yoga with the tradition’s rich philosophical lineage.

Before discovering yoga, Kaya was primarily a playwright whose plays were staged across the U.S. and India. While earning her BFA, she discovered an inherent theatricality in the Hindu mythological texts and thus she began weaving their tales into her own. The resulting research ultimately inspired her transition from dramaturgy to sociocultural anthropology. However, despite her disciplinary shift, Kaya continues to tell stories – on the stage and in the yoga studio.

With the Fulbright-Nehru research grant, Kaya is conducting an ethnography of Hindu women who lead ascetic lifestyles (sādhvīs/saṃnyāsasinīs/yoginīs). Through participant observations and interviews, she is studying how and why Hindu women practice asceticism in uniquely gendered ways and how their ascetic practices impact their lives both materially and metaphysically.

Mohnish Judge

Mohnish Judge is a Tibetan Indian American graduate of Oregon State University with a major in economics and minors in religious studies and linguistics. He is interested in the intersections of language, cultural identity, and political advocacy. As an undergraduate, he conducted research on Tibetan honorifics as part of his honors thesis, founded and led the Himalayan Student Association on his campus, and worked to provide low-income housing in his community.

For his Fulbright-Nehru project, Mohnish is investigating the mechanisms through which media functions, connects, and interacts with the Tibetan diaspora communities. Using a linguistic and communicative lens, he is examining the production and consumption of the media created by the Tibetan government-in-exile by conducting interviews and surveys, and through discursive and rhetorical analyses. The aim is to contribute to the current scholarship surrounding media, diaspora studies, imperialism, and cultural preservation.

Isabel Huesa

Isabel Huesa graduated summa cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in anthropology, global health, and the environment, and minors in biology and South Asian languages and cultures. She wrote her senior honors thesis on the history of fossil fuel divestment campaigns at higher education institutions. A proud alumna of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Isabel’s interests lie at the intersection of social justice, the environment, and health disparities. She dedicated her undergraduate career to understanding disease impact and harm reduction in marginalized communities; expanding student mental healthcare access; fighting for social justice; and examining Washington University’s role within the greater St. Louis. An advocate at heart, Isabel has mentored students as a mental health peer counselor, advised university leadership as the undergraduate representative to WashU’s Board of Trustees, and – in the wake of Missouri’s statewide abortion ban – led outreach efforts for Planned Parenthood. A critical language scholar, Isabel spent over six years learning Hindi. As a climate justice advocate, Isa participated in the United Nations’ 28th Conference of the Parties and also worked as a student consultant in the Interdisciplinary Environmental Law Clinic at WashU Law.

In her Fulbright-Nehru project, Isabel is in Delhi studying mental telehealth interventions in the HIV care continuum. She is evaluating and analyzing the efficacy of the existing 24/7 NACP (National AIDS Control Program) phone counseling service by examining the frequency of use by MSM (Men Who Have Sex with Men), the perceived effects of the phone counseling, and the patterns of HIV transmission and treatment in Delhi among MSM before and after such counseling.

Joseph Edmundson

Joseph Edmundson graduated from the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service in May 2022 with a BS in international economics with minors in mathematics and international development. His academic interests include rural and agrarian economic development with a focus on environmental, health, and economic externalities. Joseph’s first exposure to India was in December 2019 when he traveled to New Delhi on a two-week immersion trip to collect local experiences and perspectives on water utilization. Leaving the country with a profound desire to continue engaging with and working in India, he spent the remainder of his undergraduate years investigating rural Indian economic initiatives. This culminated in his honors thesis on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act’s theoretical impact on wage dynamics.

During his undergraduate years, he was also involved with nonprofit consulting. Following his graduation, Joseph spent two years with Goldman Sachs Public Global Banking and Markets Division in New York City.

In India, Joseph is excited to spend his free time continuing to develop his yoga practice as well as learn new culinary techniques, two of his favorite hobbies. Joseph also enjoys playing the tenor saxophone and piano, and is an avid art museum goer. Besides, he has performed as a dancer in Georgetown’s Rangila, an annual South Asian dance recital fundraiser.

In his Fulbright-Nehru project, Joseph is researching the implementation of two technology-based agrarian market interventions, the National Agriculture Market (eNAM) and AgMarknet; eNAM is a pan-India online trading platform for agricultural commodities with the goal of enabling large-scale market integration, while AgMarknet is an initiative to collect, analyze, and disseminate market information to agricultural market stakeholders. In his project, specifically, he is examining where these interventions have been successful and the kind of barriers they had faced; he is also studying the initiatives’ market efficiencies; besides, he is looking at the environmental and economic externalities brought about by these initiatives, including in terms of decision-making related to cropping practices and patterns over time.

Yash Deo

The American Psychological Association defines depression as a deep-seated illness marked by sadness and loss of interest in activities. Its impact was deeply felt by Yash Deo when his grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Yash then played a significant role in his grandfather’s care, taking on daily responsibilities such as bathing him, changing his clothes, and cooking for him. This experience piqued Yash’s interest in the psyche/neuro side of science, prompting him to take a psychology course in high school. There, he was introduced to concepts like neuroplasticity, which reshaped his understanding of the brain’s adaptability quotient. Motivated by these insights, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and worked in Dr. Matthew Cooper’s behavioral neuroscience lab. His studies and lab work deepened his knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms behind disorders like depression. Outside of the classroom, Yash was active in the neuroscience community at the University of Tennessee, serving as a neuroscience ambassador and holding leadership roles in several university neuroscience organizations. He developed key organizational and team-building skills and launched the Neuro-Tools Series, providing practical neuroscience-based tools on topics such as sleep, focus, and motivation. These experiences have led Yash to aspire to a career in interventional psychiatry, where he aims to use specialized neuromodulatory techniques like transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to alleviate the burdens of mental and neurological disorders. His goal is to enable individuals to engage meaningfully with their communities without the constraints of their symptoms; the focus is particularly on treating depressive and anxiety disorders to restore normalcy and joy to their lives.

The research, divided into three phases of preparation, treatment, and analysis, is utilizing advanced techniques like fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy), EEG (electroencephalography), and cognitive testing. Yash’s extensive lab experience and Dr. Verma’s expertise aim to enhance treatment strategies for severe urban mental health crises.

Sadie Cowan

Sadie Cowan graduated from Boston University (BU) School of Public Health, Massachusetts, in 2024 with a master’s in public health, concentrating in global health policy. Sadie received her bachelor’s in sociology with honors from BU in 2022. She is originally from Dalton, Georgia, where her love for social sciences and public health began through experiences in electoral politics – a passion she continued for several campaign cycles in Georgia, Massachusetts, and nationally. Sadie’s social science research, among which includes a study regarding gender-affirming care for transgender inmates in the Georgia Department of Corrections Facilities, has been published by Johns Hopkins University and featured by Boston University’s Undergraduate Research Program. Her academic interests include global development, strengthening of health systems, LGBTQIA+ health, comparative health systems, and healthcare access for marginalized populations. Outside of academics, Sadie enjoys distance running, hiking, and exploring new cuisines.

Achieving the World Health Organization’s Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination Goals necessitates rapid reductions in TB incidence and mortality, particularly in India, which bears a quarter of the global burden. Aside from diagnostics, the Indian government has introduced nutritional subsidies for persons with TB through the Ni-kshay Mitra program. While the program has benefited hundreds of thousands of Indians with TB, there’s an urgent need to enhance its uptake. Sadie’s Fulbright-Nehru project is studying the impact of Ni-kshay Mitra subsidies on their recipients; it is also examining the motivational factors behind donors participating in the program. Besides, the project is exploring ways in which Ni-kshay Mitra can enhance access to public-sector TB facilities.

Chandler Compton

Chandler Compton is a North Carolina native raised on his family’s farm near Chapel Hill. At Wofford College, he majored in international affairs and English, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He played on the men’s soccer team while also serving the college’s honor council and tutoring students at the library’s writing center. As a junior, he directed and hosted the college’s first-ever TEDx conference. He has also studied in Prague, Czechia.

After college, Chandler served as a logistics officer in the United States Marine Corps. Stationed at both Mount Fuji and Okinawa, Japan, his role involved leading the Marines in logistics operations and collaborating with partners across the Indo-Pacific region. His firsthand experience working in this dynamic international environment solidified his interest in international affairs and regional cooperation.

Chandler enjoys traveling to new countries, reading history, and going snowboarding whenever possible. He is a passionate supporter of the Atlanta Braves and Everton Football Club. When not following sports or being with friends, he is likely to be found at the gym or playing pick-up sports at the nearest basketball court or soccer field.

Chandler’s Fulbright-Nehru research is focusing on India’s potential leadership role in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) to strengthen Indo-Pacific supply chains. His project is identifying collaborative strategies for Quad members to build resilient multilateral supply chains in the region. Considering India’s strategic location, growing economic influence, and access to critical trade routes, Chandler argues the country is uniquely positioned to spearhead the Quad leadership in fortifying the Indo-Pacific economic infrastructure and promoting regional stability and sustainable development while mitigating the impact of disruptions in the global economy.

Ria Agarwal

Ria Agarwal recently graduated from Tufts University with a double major in international relations and civic studies. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, her academic focus includes human rights, international law, and migration studies.

In her professional capacity, Ria worked as a legal assistant at Cambridge Immigration Law, where she prepared legal documents, conducted asylum case research, and performed community outreach. She also interned with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, where she contributed to research and provided legal assistance for refugees.

Ria’s commitment to civic engagement is evident in her roles with Blue Future and the Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association, where she played a key part in voter registration and AAPI advocacy efforts. Additionally, as a journalist at The Fulcrum platform, she published articles exploring voter suppression and the impact of state policies during COVID-19.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Ria is passionate about Indian classical dance, enjoys reading, and loves spending time outdoors.

Ria’s Fulbright-Nehru project is exploring the challenges faced by Bangladeshi migrants in India who had been displaced from their country by climate-related disasters. Situated in Delhi, her research is addressing the lack of formal refugee status for these individuals, which strips them of essential protections and makes them vulnerable to exploitation. The study is assessing both Indian and international legal frameworks to evaluate their effectiveness in safeguarding the rights and well-being of climate-displaced migrants. Through legal analysis, expert interviews, and collaboration with the Migration and Asylum Project, Ria aims to generate actionable insights and influence policy discussions on migration and climate adaptation.

Eric Davidson

Dr. Eric Davidson is professor of the Appalachian Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, where he served as director for six years. His research areas include terrestrial nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas emissions from soils, global biogeochemical cycles, and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Davidson is a past president and fellow of the American Geophysical Union; a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and a highly cited researcher in Web of Science. He served as the North American Center director for the International Nitrogen Initiative and as a NASA project scientist for the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia. Dr. Davidson was also a Jefferson Science Fellow. He currently serves as senior editor for AGU Advances. He previously served as an editor for Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Global Change Biology, and Soil Science Society of America Journal. Dr. Davidson received his PhD from the Department of Forestry at North Carolina State University and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in soil microbiology at the University of California at Berkeley and at the NASA Ames Research Center. He worked for 22 years at the Woods Hole Research Center, including a term as president and executive director. He is the author of Science for a Green New Deal: Connecting Climate, Economics, and Social Justice and You Can’t Eat GNP.

Only about half of the nitrogen applied to croplands as fertilizers and manures goes into harvested products; the remainder is mostly lost as air and water pollution. Dr. Davidson’s Fulbright-Nehru project is investigating the potential impacts of the coming green ammonia transformation for fertilizers in India within the broader context of sustainable nitrogen management. In this regard, he is interviewing experts and stakeholders from government ministries, the fertilizer industry, schools of agronomy and environmental sciences, farmer groups, and biotechnology innovators to ascertain their awareness of green ammonia technology and their expectations of positive and negative consequences for agricultural productivity, economics, farmer well-being, and environmental quality.

Shalini Ayyagari

Prof. Shalini Ayyagari is an associate professor of music at the University of Pittsburgh and an ethnomusicologist who works across the fields of music in cultural contexts, South Asian studies, critical ethnography, and development studies.

Her first book, Music Resilience: Performing Manganiyar Music in the Indian Thar Desert, was published by Wesleyan University Press in 2022, and is based on 15 years of ethnographic fieldwork and primary sources research. Musical Resilience is a sociocultural history and musical ethnography of the Manganiyar, a hereditary community of caste-based musicians who live in the Thar Desert on the India–Pakistan border and have maintained music within a patronage system as their livelihood for centuries. In the book, Prof. Ayyagari chronicles the ways hereditary professional musicians in South Asia continue to make a relevant living through music despite postcolonial rearrangements of traditional patronage relationships and despite economic hardships and the lure of more lucrative non-music professions.

Prof. Ayyagari was previously on the faculty at American University. Before that, she held a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities at Dartmouth College and a Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation/Teaching Predoctoral Fellowship at Kenyon College. She received her PhD in music with a focus on ethnomusicology from the University of California, Berkeley, where her dissertation research was partially funded by a Fulbright IIE fellowship. She completed her BA from Swarthmore College.

For her Fulbright-Nehru project, Prof. Ayyagari is centering the voices and music of the Manganiyar through collaboration, curation, and the archiving of their ethnographic video, audio, and written materials. She is also piecing together the archival materials (1965–2003) of the late Komal Kothari, the main cultural entrepreneur who took these musicians and their music to the world outside their villages. This archive was recently digitized at the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology (ARCE). Prof. Ayyagari is also working with the Manganiyar musicians to tell their own stories through transmediated filmmaking as practice for co-authorship and collaboration.