Host Institution USA: Azim Premji University

Martha Weiss

Prof. Martha Weiss is a professor of biology at Georgetown University where she directs the environmental biology major and co-directs the environmental studies program. She received a BA in geological sciences from Harvard University, a PhD in botany from the University of California, Berkeley, and postdoctoral training in insect behavior from the University of Arizona, Tucson. Her research – deriving from a close observation of nature – centers around experimental exploration of questions in insect ecology and plant–animal interactions. Her topics of investigation have included floral color changes as cues for pollinators; learning and memory in butterflies; the retention of memory across metamorphosis; and the indirect ecological consequences of periodical cicada emergences. In her teaching, she prioritizes opportunities for active learning and engagement; she believes that while thoughtful pedagogy is an important foundation for instruction in any subject, it is particularly critical in STEM fields where traditional, memorization-based methods of teaching have been known to discourage participation. Outside of research and teaching, she enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors, botanizing, foraging for edible plants, and working with fibers and textiles.

For her Fulbright-Nehru project, Prof. Weiss is investigating the behavior, movement, and sensory ecology of ant-mimicking arthropods in areas around Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram. In one of the prime examples of adaptation by natural selection, a diverse array of insects and spiders exhibit a remarkable resemblance to ants, mimicking them in both morphology and behavior, and thereby gaining protection from predators that actively avoid ants. She is also offering field-based workshops to students at Azim Premji University on plant–insect interactions; besides, she is participating in pedagogical workshops on “ungrading”, a relatively new assessment strategy that moves the focus away from testing and instead puts learning at the center of higher education.

Niyati Shah

Niyati Shah is an Indian American research analyst and community organizer based in Washington, DC, who synthesizes mixed methods and participatory research to advance public and planetary health. She holds a BS in statistics and public health from George Washington University. In Washington, Niyati served as a grassroots organizer for Ward 2 Mutual Aid, which is a community-led effort to build solidarity, meet the survival needs of unhoused neighbors, and foster collective support during times of crisis. She was a key member of its Oral History Project, which documents the realities of housing and food insecurity, and showcases how neighbors organize to address these issues. She previously worked at Westat, where she collaborated on projects that evaluated and monitored the U.S.’s social safety net programs with the mission to improve the health outcomes of historically underserved communities. At Westat, she contributed to research on nursing home staff during COVID-19, examined the regional differences in the quality of kidney care in the U.S., and studied the experiences of mothers on supplemental nutrition programs in rural areas. Prior to Westat, Niyati worked at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) where she helped measure the role of social networks on the health outcomes and burden among caregivers of children with metabolic disorders. Niyati presented her team’s research at the NHGRI symposium in 2019. In her free time, Niyati knits and crochets, bakes cardamom-orange olive oil cake, and befriends neighborhood cats. She also performs Bharatnatyam and Kathak dances with DC’s performing arts group, Nootana, and with Lasya Dance Academy.

In her Fulbright-Nehru project at Bengaluru, Niyati, by integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches, is examining how rural–urban migration into sites of climate vulnerability impacts the health of migrant women. Guided by frameworks within environmental scholarship, her research is exploring the reasons for migration and studying the migrants’ exposure to hazards, as well as the health risks and coping strategies. The study’s findings are expected to spur the development of structures that facilitate the mobility of displaced women and support their adaptation strategies in the face of climate breakdown.

Anousha Peters

Anousha Peters is a labor, youth, and abolitionist organizer. She currently works at Labor Notes, which educates workers who are democratizing their trade unions. She also organizes with Dissenters, a youth anti-militarist organization fighting for the investment of resources in life-giving services. She previously worked with United for Respect supporting retail employees at Amazon and Walmart who were espousing the cause of dignity in their workplaces. Anousha studied sociology at Columbia University where she conducted research with professors Adam Reich and Hana Shepherd. Before transferring, she attended the liberal arts program of Deep Springs College in California for two years. Originally from Gainesville, Florida, Anousha’s professional and political interests have focused on marginalized and precarious workers. She enjoys running, watercolor painting, listening to podcasts, and bringing together and hosting friends.

In her Fulbright-Nehru project, Anousha is studying women’s participation in platform gig work in India wherein freelance workers are connected to consumers through online marketplaces. She is studying the reasons behind women taking up such work, the workingconditions they encounter, and their feelings of safety and agency in their work. While the study is focusing on the city of Hosur in the outskirts of Bengaluru, its learnings will find use across India and beyond since gig work is growing globally and is often conducted on transnational platforms.