Meet Our India Fulbrighters Archive - Page 2 of 64

Sapna Saini

Ms. Sapna Saini is a PhD candidate at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu. Her doctoral research focuses on drug discovery against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, targeting essential enzymes in the electron transport chain. She is engaged in identifying and characterizing novel small-molecule inhibitors with potential activity against drug-resistant tuberculosis. Her work contributes to understanding the mechanism of action of compounds targeting mycobacterial respiration.

Sapna holds a bachelor’s degree in life sciences with distinction from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, and a master’s degree in zoology with a specialization in physiology from Punjabi University, Patiala. She qualified for the National Eligibility Test in life sciences conducted by CSIR (CSIR-NET/JRF) and the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering in life sciences (GATE-XL) through self-study.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Sapna is planning to undertake advanced training in ABSL-3 laboratory techniques and in vivo infection models. The acquired expertise will support her long-term goal of contributing to tuberculosis drug discovery and strengthening research capacity about infectious diseases in India.

Sania Sultana

Ms. Sania Sultana is a PhD candidate at National Brain Research Centre, Haryana. Her doctoral research focuses on understanding the mechanisms driving locomotion deficits in genetic models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across different stages of development. Using molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral approaches, she studies how altered neuronal translation disrupts cortico-striatal circuitry and contributes to motor dysfunction in ASD. Her work also explores sex-specific differences in ASD models, an area that remains underexplored in neuroscience research.

Sania completed her bachelor’s and master’s in life sciences from Presidency University, Kolkata. During her master’s research, she investigated how exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phones affect neural development and behavior. The observed hyperactivity and cognitive impairments in mice deepened her interest in developmental brain disorders and motivated her to pursue research in ASD.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Sania will study how long non-coding RNAs regulate inhibitory synapses in the striatum of ASD models. Her proposed work aims to uncover convergent mechanisms underlying circuit dysfunction across genetically distinct autism models and contribute to improved strategies for early diagnosis and intervention. Beyond her academic work, Sania enjoys exploring regional ecology, cuisine, and cultural traditions.

S. Muthukrishnan

Mr. S. Muthukrishnan is a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Kanpur, where his doctoral studies are supported by a fellowship from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. Since beginning his research in 2022, his work has focused on leveraging metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to design sustainable and efficient solutions for real-world engineering challenges. His research also extends to biomedical applications. His findings have been presented at national and international conferences, as well as published in high-impact peer-reviewed international journals.

Muthukrishnan completed his BS in chemical engineering with a minor in chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal. While interning at IISc Bangalore, he developed particle-tracking code to extract trajectories from live video feeds, allowing him to study their kinetics under UV light. This experience inspired his current focus on coding and simulations.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Muthukrishnan is investigating chemical modifications to CALF-20, a major MOF for CO2 capture. His research aims to enhance its CO2 capture capacity in the presence of moisture, a critical challenge for CO2 capture in thermal power plants. He is advancing his expertise in developing precise machine learning-based interatomic potentials (MLIP) to simulate and design optimized CALF-20 variants. He will evaluate these designs through molecular simulations, using the developed MLIPs, to determine their industrial applicability.

Lijiya Chacko

Ms. Lijiya Chacko is a PhD candidate and a teaching assistant at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Bombay. She completed undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Calicut and postgraduation in neural and cognitive sciences at the University of Hyderabad. Her doctoral research examines how attentional priority is shaped by multiple influences, including emotional salience, reward associations, and prior experience.

Prior to her doctoral studies, Lijiya gained substantial experience in experimental cognitive science through research positions at Cognitive Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory, IIT Bombay, and the Action Control and Cognition Lab at the University of Hyderabad. She has also contributed to research training initiatives, including conducting workshops on experimental methods and eye-tracking applications at the Annual Conference of Cognitive Sciences, 2024. She was awarded the International Brain Research Organization’s Neuroscience Training Grant to attend Cognitive Neuroimaging Skills Training in Cambridge, held at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, UK, in September 2025.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Lijiya is examining the behavioral and neural mechanisms of statistically learned spatial attentional biases, with particular emphasis on whether such biases operate automatically and persist over time, or whether they remain flexible and responsive to current goals. Through her research, she aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how past experiences shape attention, with implications for cognitive theory and real-world adaptive behavior. She enjoys music, books and movies in her leisure time.

Lata Pawar

Ms. Lata Pawar is a Senior Research Fellow at Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB), Mohali and her PhD is registered at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali. Her doctoral research focuses on generation of biopolymers through advance biocatalysis and biomass utilization. She is passionate about promoting sustainable biotechnology and believes harnessing biological systems can unlock innovative solutions for a greener future.

Ms. Pawar holds a bachelor’s degree in botany from Gargi College, University of Delhi. Interested in the development of sustainable food packaging materials, she pursued a postgraduate diploma in food analysis and quality assurance. She completed a master’s degree in food technology from the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Pune.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow at Karen M. Swindler Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Lata is developing a sustainable and integrated pathway for the production of polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a promising bio-based alternative to petroleum-derived plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Her research focuses on the synthesis and polymerization of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, a key monomer derived from lignocellulosic biomass through catalytic conversion processes. The study aims to engineer high-performance bioplastic films by integrating principles of green chemistry, polymer science, and process systems engineering. Additionally, her work involves comprehensive life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis to evaluate the environmental sustainability and economic feasibility of the developed biopolymer production route.

Jirpu Taba

Ms. Jirpu Taba is a PhD candidate at the Department of Zoology, Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh. Her doctoral research focuses on cancer biology, with an emphasis on extracellular vesicle-mediated signaling in pancreatic cancer model. Given the significant role of nano-sized extracellular vesicles in tumorigenesis, she seeks to explore their application in advanced cancer therapeutics.

Jirpu holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Gargi College, University of Delhi, New Delhi. She completed her master’s degree in zoology from Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh. With a specialization in cell and molecular biology, she developed a strong interest in molecular mechanism and cancer therapeutics.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Jirpu is exploring the role of a matricellular oncoprotein, Cyr61, in extracellular vesicle-mediated pancreatic cancer progression. Her work will examine how the signature of this oncoprotein in the cancer cell-derived extracellular vesicles could influence Hippo signaling pathway to modulate the tumor microenvironment. With the fundamental understanding of the role of extracellular vesicles in cancer, she looks forward to contribute to translational research and advancement of personalized medicine.

Indu Poornima Sasidharan Vasantha Kumari

Ms. Indu Poornima is a PhD candidate at the Center for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru. Her doctoral research focuses on the social transformations from the introduction of large infrastructure projects among local communities, particularly those that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. She studies the coastal community of Vizhinjam in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, where India’s first deep-water transshipment port is being built as a private-public partnership project. Using ethnography, she explores how the local fishing community experienced and adapted to various livelihood changes while negotiating with the state and private actors. Indu has presented her work at international conferences, including the Regional Studies Association Annual Conference in Florence where she discussed her work on disaster relief labor of Kudumbashree women in Kerala. She has also been selected for travel grants by the Ireland India Institute and the European Feminist Research Conference.

Indu has an interdisciplinary background with a master’s in development studies and a bachelor’s in social sciences from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). In 2020, she was awarded the UGC-NET Junior Research Fellowship in sociology.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Fellow at Brown, Indu is examining how context-specific policies respond to demands for large infrastructure projects by comparing Vizhinjam with a setting in the United States. In the rare moments she resurfaces from the depths of her data, she can be found taking photos, devouring seafood, or fighting a losing battle trying to rediscover ‘reading for fun’.

Harshit Pandey

Mr. Harshit Pandey is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. His doctoral research focuses on the processing and development of inorganic and organic materials for battery applications, with significant emphasis on collaborative work with research groups across India and the world. It addresses key challenges for next-generation batteries through the exploration of advanced material chemistries and scalable approaches.

Before beginning his doctoral studies, Harshit completed his bachelor’s degree at Hindu College, University of Delhi, and earned a master’s degree in chemistry from the Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur. His work has been published in peer-reviewed international journals and presented at several national and international conferences. His research contributions were acknowledged through an international travel grant from the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, providing him the opportunity to present his work at the International Battery Association Annual Meeting, 2025, in Singapore.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Harshit is aiming to bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and industrial application by optimizing material processing and using advanced ultrasound techniques to monitor the physical and chemical health of batteries while they operate. Beyond his professional interests, he is a naturalist and a passionate mountaineer, enjoys nature and exploring the outdoors through trekking and hiking. He is also a guitarist and enjoys singing and songwriting.