Meet Our India Fulbrighters Archive - Page 7 of 52

Arin Bhakat

Dr. Arin Bhakat is currently a project staff member (SRF-Direct) at the Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam. He earned his BSc in 2016 from Haldia Government College under Vidyasagar University, Midnapore, and completed his MSc in 2018 at Presidency University, Kolkata. In July 2024, he was awarded a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, Assam.

Dr. Bhakat’s research interests are primarily in the field of crystal engineering, especially 2D crystals and moiré superlattice, design, synthesis, characterization, and self-assembly of nanomaterials (QDs, metal NPs, NCs & Janus structure) and organic-inorganic molecular microcrystals for optoelectronic devices and sensors, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. He has published many research papers in various internationally reputed journals and has an Indian technology transfer patent. As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research fellow at the Stanford University, Dr. Bhakat is working with Prof. Zare and focusing on water micro-droplet assisted catalytic synthesis of nitric acid directly from nitrogen/air in the ambient conditions. He aims to explore sustainable water micro-droplet catalysis, scaling up the synthesis, and investigating reaction pathways.

Abhishek Dixit

Dr. Abhishek Dixit is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He earned his BTech in 2015 from JSS Noida, affiliated to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, and completed his MTech in 2018 at IIT Guwahati. In March 2024, he was awarded a PhD from IIT Guwahati. As part of his doctoral research, he worked as a guest PhD student at the University of Goettingen, Germany, under the NAMASTE+ program funded by DAAD and the German Ministry of Education and Research.

Dr. Dixit’s research spans fluvial sedimentology, groundwater, glaciers, and oceans, with publications in leading international journals. He has also visited the University of Leeds under the BRAINSTORM project, funded by the university’s International Strategy Fund, to advance collaborations on Himalayan research.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Dr. Dixit is studying the impacts of large mass-wasting events, such as landslides and ice-rock avalanches, on river dynamics and flooding risks in the Brahmaputra River basin. His work combines geochronology, remote sensing, and numerical simulations to evaluate the consequences of these events in a warming Himalayan environment.

Aarthi Kannan

Dr. Aarthi Kannan is currently an Ingenieur de recherche (research engineer) at the Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris, Sorbonne Université, France, since December 2024. She got her PhD degree from SASTRA Deemed University, Tamil Nadu, in August 2024. Aarthi earned her MTech in medical nanotechnology (integrated) from the same institution in May 2019.

Dr. Kannan’s research primarily focuses on nanotechnology, particularly in materials science (hybrid and 2D nanomaterials) and electrochemical nanosensors for environment and health applications. She has published 10 research articles in reputed scientific Q1 journals and holds two Indian patents. She is also the co-founder and innovator of SENSOIL, a start-up incubated at ABLEST-TBI, SASTRA.

Dr. Kannan was awarded the UGC-Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child to pursue her PhD. Also, she was awarded the prestigious Mitacs-SICI Globalink research (Indo-Canadian) grant to pursue her research internship at McMaster’s University, Ontario, Canada. She has actively participated in national and international conferences, delivering both oral and poster presentations.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Kansas State University, Dr. Kannan is working with Dr. Suprem R. Das in the Micro/Nano Materials and Device Manufacturing Group. During this fellowship, her research will focus on developing two-dimensional, atomically thin nanoscale materials to fabricate innovative dual-selective phosphate electrochemical sensors for soil and water analysis in neutral pH conditions.

Anirudh Gaurang Gudlavalleti

Dr. Anirudh Gaurang Gudlavalleti has a bachelor’s degree in dentistry, a master’s degree in social entrepreneurship, and is currently completing a PhD in public health from Maastricht University. He is passionate about community health and in 2024, he founded Pragyaan Sustainable Health Outcomes Foundation (PRASHO). His interests lie in utilizing technology and coaching community health workers to detect and treating diabetes, cancers, and eye diseases in India’s villages.

Dr. Gudlavalleti has won grants to develop a prototype for an AI diabetes screening tool. He was named as one of Asia’s 50 leading social entrepreneurs by DBS Bank.

During his fellowship, Dr Gudlavalleti is focusing on leadership and technical skills that will help him advance the mission of PRASHO. These include sharpening his project leadership skills, health economics and budget impact analysis skills, grant writing and partnership negotiation skills while working with mentors, faculty, peers and university partners.

Haulianlal Guite

Mr. Haulianlal Guite is an IAS officer of the Indian government, currently serving as the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Control in the Government of Rajasthan. In this assignment, he is tasked to ensure public health/hygiene within Rajasthan by regulating the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, and all food products. He has extensive governance experience over the last 13 years in sectors that include rural/urban development, healthcare services, law and order, and e-governance initiatives at the rural, municipal and state government levels in Rajasthan and Manipur.

Haulianlal graduated in Philosophy, completed a master’s in Sociology, and recently submitted his doctoral dissertation to MNIT, Jaipur, India, in Political Science. He has also published a philosophical non-fiction work titled Confessions of a Dying Mind.

During this fellowship Haulianlal will be studying the workings of U.S. local governments, imbibing the best practices and examining their replicability in India. He will also be engaging with other academic interests at the interface of policymaking and theorizing, particularly in the area of religion-state relations, and the place of civil liberties in the age of social media and AI.

Mamu Hage

Ms. Mamu Hage is the Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of West Siang District in Arunachal Pradesh. She is a 2017 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer. Her previous stints have included being Collector and District Magistrate of North Goa District with additional charge as MD & CEO of Panaji Smart City Corporation. As District Magistrate and Collector in various districts and states she has conducted two Legislative Assembly Elections and Parliamentary Elections, ensured implementation of key Government schemes and initiated several developmental projects.

During her stint in West Siang, Mamu focused on district developmental goals such as Clean Aalo Initiative and urban transformation through a range of measures. She has been instrumental in securing various awards and accolades for the district in urban innovation, health and wellness and election management.

Mamu is the first Apatani Tribe IAS officer and only the second from Arunachal Pradesh to be selected as a Humphrey Fellow under the Fulbright Scholarship.

Mamu is also a swimming enthusiast. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, and a master’s in Applied Psychology from South Campus, Delhi University. As a Humphrey Fellow, Mamu is studying urban sanitation, urban roads and mobility, and how to make cities smart.

Shakshi Bhardwaj

Ms Shakshi Bhardwaj is a PhD candidate in the Department of Polymer and Process Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand. Her research focuses on developing multifunctional hydrophobic cellulose nanofiber aerogels integrated with phase change materials for thermal energy storage and insulation. This work aims to contribute to sustainable solutions in the building and automotive sectors.

Shakshi earned her BSc in Chemistry from the University of Delhi in 2017, followed by an MSc in Organic Chemistry from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, in 2019. In 2022, she began her doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Pradip Kumar Maji and was awarded the prestigious Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF). She has bagged several awards at national and international conferences for excellence in research presentations.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow, Shakshi is conducting collaborative research at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work focuses on cellulose-based materials for thermal insulation and thermal management applications. She is engaged in literature review, scientific writing, and hands-on learning of advanced material characterization techniques with full support from the host research group. The collaborative research is expected to contribute to sustainable material innovations relevant to both India and the United States.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Shakshi is passionate about promoting eco-friendly technologies and hopes to bridge fundamental research with real-world applications in sustainable infrastructure.

Anubhav Preet Kaur

Dr. Anubhav Preet Kaur is a postdoctoral researcher at Ashoka University, Sonipat, Haryana. She completed her PhD at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Mohali where she worked on human-environment interface during Early to Middle Pleistocene (2.58-0.4 Ma) in northern India. She was also a predoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Kaur has received numerous prestigious international grants throughout her doctoral and postdoctoral career from the Leakey Foundation, Paleontological Society, Royal Anthropological Institute, Lithic Studies Society, Society for American Archaeology and the Palaeontological Association. Additionally, she was a recipient of the John C. Graff International Paleontology Award given by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Her research endeavors have garnered recognition on national and international platforms.

During her Fulbright-Kalam Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Arizona, Dr. Kaur is working on reconstructing prehistoric climate variability to understand evolution of human adaptability and resilience in the context of South Asian paleoclimate variability throughout the Late Cenozoic period (~3 million years) and current rapid climate change crisis.

Parth Dharmendrabhai Shah

Dr. Parth D. Shah is a Research Associate at the University of Haifa, Israel. He earned his BS-MS degrees in Chemical Sciences from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali and later pursued his PhD at the Department of Marine Geosciences, University of Haifa, Israel. His doctoral work focused on paleoclimate reconstruction in the southern Arabian Desert, with a special focus on understanding the impact of climate change on various ecosystem components.

Dr. Shah is the recipient of various prestigious scholarships, including the PBC scholarship from the Council for Higher Education, Israel, for his doctoral studies. During his PhD, he was also awarded the IAS 2023 Postgraduate Grant and NSF-funded Visiting Graduate Student Program (VGSP) at the University of Minnesota. Additionally, he received the INSPIRE fellowship from the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, during his BS-MS at IISER Mohali.

As a Fulbright-Kalam Postdoc Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Shah is focusing on reconstructing high-resolution climate variability in the Western Himalayas using lacustrine sediments from Tso Kar Lake. By employing a multi-proxy approach including geochemical, sedimentological, and isotopic analysis, his work aims to understand the connections between monsoon dynamics, atmospheric circulation, and regional hydrology during the Holocene. This work will provide vital insights into the drivers of past climatic shifts, their impact on human societies, and their relevance to addressing modern challenges in climate adaptation and mitigation.