Archives: Meet Our USA Fulbrighters

Meera Sitharam

Dr. Meera Sitharam is professor of computer science and affiliate professor of mathematics at the University of Florida in Gainesville. After her BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, she completed her doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in computer science and held positions at Kent State University and Purdue University. She was an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Bonn, a Fields Institute Fellow, and an ICERM Fellow. Her research and over 100 peer-reviewed publications range from pure mathematics (discrete geometry) and theoretical computer science (algorithmic foundations and complexity theory) to the development of open source mathematical software (computational geometry) and geometric modeling in the natural and social sciences and engineering (soft-matter and biophysical modeling, algorithmic game theory, computer-aided mechanical and microstructural design). Her research group’s alumni include at least 15 doctorate holders now in academia, industry and entrepreneurial positions. As a vocal advocate for public higher education, Dr. Sitharam is currently chapter president and chief negotiator for the United Faculty of Florida at the University of Florida. Her academic outreach activities include: faculty advisorship of the Asha for Education chapter, where she works closely with grassroots partners in Tamil Nadu working toward education access and quality; and founding STEM women researchers’ development (Steward@IITM) to mentor and address the barriers faced by women researchers.

She is a graded All India Radio veena artist and engages with a broad range of music.

Dr. Sitharam’s Fulbright-Nehru project, “Exploring Connections: Rigidity, Flexibility, Complexity, and Applications of Geometry Constraints”, aims to leverage the host institution’s unique combination of expertise – on parameterized complexity and derandomization of algorithms, configuration space topology, and soft-matter modeling – to conduct research on Geometric Constraint Systems (GCS), a vibrant, intuitively accessible area that bridges mathematical communities. The GCS lens also intends to spur progress on fundamental theoretical science at the host institution. The expected project outcomes include several peer-reviewed articles, an international workshop, grant proposals for joint US–India programs, seminar series at the host institution, and addressing of research underrepresentation.

Neha Lodha

Dr. Neha Lodha is an engineer-turned-neuroscientist. She is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science and the School of Biomedical Engineering at Colorado State University (CSU). She earned her PhD in kinesiology from the University of Florida, following a BTech in information and communication technology from DA-IICT, Gandhinagar, India.

Dr. Lodha directs the Laboratory of Movement Neuroscience and Rehabilitation at CSU. Her research applies approaches in cognitive aging, movement neuroscience, and neurorehabilitation with the goal of improving functional independence, mobility, and overall well-being of individuals facing age-related or neurological challenges. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges biomechanics, neuroscience, and digital health to better understand and support cognitive and physical functioning in everyday life. Her current work in her lab focuses on identifying early indicators of reduced mobility and cognitive performance. This includes examining how people move in their daily environments, how their cognitive and motor systems interact, and how technology can assist in rehabilitation and health monitoring. Complementing her research, Dr. Lodha leads community outreach through her lab’s initiatives. These include mobility assessments and fall-prevention screenings for older adults, as well as educational programs for students interested in science and engineering.

Dr. Lodha has authored over 50 scholarly publications, including 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, and her work has been cited more than 3,400 times. She has a strong track record in securing external research funding as a principal investigator, having obtained competitive awards from agencies like the National Institute on Aging, the American Heart Association, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

The global rise of dementia significantly affects populations in low- and middle-income countries. In communities with limited access to formal education and healthcare, cognitive impairments often go undiagnosed. Most current assessments cater to English-speaking and literate individuals and are not effective for people in other contexts. Dr. Lodha’s Fulbright-Nehru project is developing a performance-based tool designed to work across language and education levels within the Indian population. The project’s primary aim is to improve early detection of cognitive decline.

Emily Kumpel

Dr. Emily Kumpel is an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research advances sustainable and equitable drinking water systems through innovative approaches to water quality, household storage, and data science applications. With over 40 peer-reviewed publications on topics such as intermittent water supply, disinfection byproducts, water quality monitoring, and small water systems, she has secured more than $15 million in funding from NSF, EPA, Massachusetts agencies, and private foundations. Her current projects include an NSF CAREER award investigating household water storage as a reliability strategy, and extensive partnership work with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). She leads comprehensive drinking water assistance programs for the state of Massachusetts, including support for complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act, research on emerging contaminants among small and disadvantaged communities, lead testing in schools and childcare facilities, and small systems technical assistance. She has received multiple awards such as the College of Engineering Barbara H. and Joseph J. Goldstein Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (2024), Outstanding Teaching Award (2022), and a PIT@UMass Faculty Fellowship (2024). Dr. Kumpel serves as associate editor for AWWA Water Science and has extensive international field research experience, having lived and conducted research for over six years across India and countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Before joining UMass in 2017, she was a senior research scientist at Aquaya Institute in Kenya, where she led water-quality monitoring and evaluation projects across multiple countries. She earned her PhD and MS in civil and environmental engineering from UC Berkeley and a BS in mechanical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Kumpel’s Fulbright-Nehru project is developing metrics for water supply continuity and predictability, testing new measurement methods, and analyzing the sources of unpredictability. She is conducting her fieldwork in and around Mumbai with the faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. The intended outcomes of the research are at least two co-authored manuscripts, mutual student mentorship, and establishment of networks to enable future research endeavors.

Gregory Goulding

Prof. Gregory Goulding is an associate professor in the Department of South Asia Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. His first book, Cold War Genres, was released with SUNY University Press in 2024. His research focus is on mid-20th-century Hindi literature, with a particular interest in ideas of space, aesthetic debates, and conceptions of the international. Some of his recent articles have appeared in Comparative Literature, Modern Asian Studies, South Asia, and the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Prof. Goulding’s Fulbright-Nehru project is posing Central India as a key location in the literary history of modern South Asia, situating it as an area shaped by its political history as a borderland between Maratha, Mughal, and later British power. He is also studying Central India’s position on the periphery of three modern literary cultures, as well as its landscape of forested mountain and scrubby plateau, home to peoples who articulate radically different ideas of space and belonging. The project aims to intervene in both current understandings of modern South Asian literatures as well as in global understandings of modern literatures after the emergence of monolingual linguistic identities.

David Efurd

Dr. David Efurd is associate professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Wofford College where he also serves as coordinator of Asian studies and co-coordinator of Ancient World studies. He teaches various courses about global artistic traditions which contribute to Wofford’s curricula in Asian studies, Chinese studies, and Middle Eastern and North African studies. He received his PhD in history of art (South Asia) from Ohio State University and his MA in art history from the University of Georgia. Dr. Efurd has also a BFA in painting and drawing from Cornell University where he began pursuing his lifelong interest in darkroom and digital photography.

With South Asia as his research field, Dr. Efurd studies early Buddhist monasteries carved directly into the stone cliffs of western India. His research encompasses interactions among peoples in the ancient western Deccan and the resulting artistic and architectural forms hewn from living rock. His present work focuses on revisiting scholarship from the era of the British Empire to later studies of Buddhist monuments. He utilizes both meticulous examination of archaeological sites and his training in the arts to foster understanding about ancient and contemporary artistic practices throughout Asia. Dr. Efurd’s other scholarly interests include digital humanities and the preservation of cultural heritage sites. He maintains an archive of photographs of caves, architecture, and Buddhist art, which is accessible to scholars all over the world.

Dr. Efurd’s Fulbright-Nehru project is examining holistic design in early Buddhist architecture through data collection via photographic documentation and intensive study of an ancient monastic cave complex in western India. The project aims to offer insights into little-known architectural practices of 2000 years ago, which reflect in the extent and scope of holistic unity attempted by the cave’s creators.

Abhishek Bhati

Dr. Abhishek Bhati is an associate professor of political science and director of the Asian Studies Program at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. He holds a PhD in public administration from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and an MA from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. His research focuses on nonprofit and civil society organizations. Specifically, Dr. Bhati examines how nonprofit and civil society organizations mobilize resources to advance their mission and support public good. He was awarded the Wilson C. “Bill” Fundraising Research Award in 2021 and was a social impact strategy doctoral fellow at the School of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Bhati’s work has appeared in top nonprofit and public administration journals such as Public Administration Review and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. In 2022, his work received the best paper award from Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Beyond his academic responsibilities, he serves on the Planning Commission of the city of Bowling Green.

Dr. Bhati’s Fulbright-Nehru research project is focusing on understanding how nonprofit and civil society organizations (CSOs) are using generative AI tools to advance their mission; it is also studying the potential pitfalls or challenges to the use of this emerging technology. The study is using a mixed-method research design by conducting an online survey and interviews with CSOs and other stakeholders in India. This research aims to benefit CSOs and policymakers by helping them understand the impact of “disruptive technologies” on the global civil society sector.

Amy Allocco

Prof. Amy Allocco is professor of religious studies and director of the Multifaith Scholars Program at Elon University which she joined in 2009. She is the 2019 recipient of the university’s Ward Family Excellence in Mentoring Award. In 2021, Elon’s College of Arts and Sciences honored her with the Excellence in Scholarship Award, while in 2012, she received the Excellence in Teaching Award. Professor Allocco teaches courses on the religions of South Asia, particularly Hinduism. She earned her PhD from Emory University, MTS from Harvard Divinity School, and BA from Colgate University.

Prof. Allocco is an anthropologist of religion who studies contemporary Hindu ritual and religious practices in Tamil Nadu. Her book project, Living with the Dead in Hindu South India, focuses on ceremonies to honor deceased relatives in which ritual drummers summon the spirit, convince it to possess a human host, and beg it to come home as a permanent family deity. Fellowships from Fulbright-Nehru and the American Institute of Indian Studies supported Professor Allocco’s research for her “domesticating the dead” project, which features in an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Besides her co-edited volume, Ritual Innovation: Strategic Interventions in South Asian Religion (SUNY Press, 2018, with Brian K. Pennington), she co-edited a 2020 issue of the journal Fieldwork in Religion on the theme “Shifting Sites, Shifting Selves: The Intersections of Homes and Fields in the Ethnography of India” (with Jennifer D. Ortegren) and has another co-edited volume under contract with SUNY titled Sweetening and Intensification: Currents Shaping Hindu Practices (with Xenia Zeiler).

Prof. Allocco’s Fulbright-Nehru project is an ethnographic study analyzing the ritual, musical, and storytelling practices of three generations of Tamil Hindu drummer-priests called pampaikkārar to understand a performance tradition in transition. Through eight months of fieldwork in Tamil-speaking South India, she is exploring the creation, transmission, and refashioning of this family’s musical and ritual repertoires, and is examining what these dynamic processes reveal about shifting religious sentiments, aesthetic preferences, and socioeconomic conditions. She is also focusing on the co-constitutive nature of the drummer-priests’ ritual efficacy and musical virtuosity as well as on intergenerational learning and social media experimentation. Her resulting ethnography will delineate how changing religious, narrative, and visual tastes and relationships with technology are reshaping the contours of Tamil devotional performance culture.

Sonia Taneja

Dr. Sonia Taneja is a general pediatrician at Boston Medical Center and a clinical instructor at Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She was most recently a chief resident at the Boston Combined Residency Program in Boston Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital, where she was engaged in curricular development for both domestic and global health equity education.

She holds a BA in psychology from Yale University and an MS in public health from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. She is a former Parker Huang Research Fellow in India, where she conducted a mixed-methods study identifying the risk factors for mood disorders among caste-based sex workers in New Delhi and brothel-based sex workers in Kolkata and Patna. She obtained her MD from the Yale School of Medicine where she worked with the Elevate Policy Lab and the MOMS Partnership to replicate a community-based participatory research intervention for co-located social and mental health services for low-income parents.

In her Fulbright-Nehru project, she is continuing her work with adolescents and families in partnership with the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh to develop a community-based participatory intervention mechanism to optimize medication-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder among adolescents in India. The goal of this research is to develop PYAR, or Parents as Youth Allies in Recovery, a family-centered behavioral intervention program designed to equip caregivers with skills to support medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and HIV prevention among young people who inject drugs (YPWID). Dr. Taneja is utilizing community-based participatory research methods to interview youth who are under-engaged or have recently ceased MOUD and their caregivers to elicit the following: knowledge and attitudes about MOUD and HIV prevention services; challenges faced by YPWID and caregivers in recovery; and the intervention components that youth and caregivers identify as most effective and acceptable.

Jason Strother

Mr. Jason Strother is a multimedia journalist and educator. As an independent reporter, Mr. Strother has filed stories from dozens of datelines for media outlets like NPR, the Wall Street Journal, and the BBC World Service. Much of his career was spent covering affairs on the Korean Peninsula and he sent dispatches from both sides of the DMZ. But in 2021, Mr. Strother returned to New Jersey to shift his reporting to stories that concern disability and accessibility, a beat that is often ignored or misunderstood in mainstream journalism. He then launched Lens15 Media, a news agency that focuses on the disability angle in every story. Mr. Strother’s work is informed by his own experience of having a low-vision impairment.

Mr. Strother is also an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, where he has created several electives in the School of Communication and Media. That includes a course on how people with disabilities are portrayed in the entertainment industry, journalism, and the social media. He has also been involved in cross-campus initiatives to make media and the arts more accessible. Mr. Strother holds an MA in international relations from the Brussels School of International Studies and a BA in broadcasting from Montclair State University. He has also earned a certificate degree in entrepreneurial journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Mr. Strother has won grants from the National Geographic Society, the UC Berkeley School of Journalism, and the NJ Civic Information Consortium.

People with disabilities are disproportionately affected by climate change and disasters. Approximately 15 per cent of the world’s population has a physical, sensory or developmental impairment and as instances of severe weather phenomena increase, so do the risks posed to this already vulnerable community. In his Fulbright project, Mr. Strother is examining how emergency systems can be made more accessible to people with disabilities. During his sojourns in India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, he has been searching for ways to bring down barriers that limit this population’s inclusion in responses to catastrophic events.

Alan Fryar

Dr. Alan Fryar received his BS in Geology and History from Duke University in 1984, his MS in Geology from Texas A&M University in 1986, and his PhD in Geology from the University of Alberta (Canada) in 1992. From 1992 to 1995, he was a Research Associate in the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. Since 1995, he has been a faculty member in the Department of Geological Sciences (now Earth and Environmental Sciences) at the University of Kentucky, where he is currently a Professor. He teaches courses in hydrology, hydrogeology, and environmental geology. He has graduated eight PhD and 17 MS advisees.

His current and recent research projects include groundwater flow and chemistry in karst regions of Morocco and China; occurrence of arsenic in floodplains of the Ganges and Mekong rivers; transport of bacteria in karst aquifers in Kentucky; and groundwater-stream interactions in major river valleys in Kentucky. Dr. Fryar was the principal investigator for two projects, funded by the US Department of State, to build capacity for graduate education in hydrology in Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia. He has also received grants from the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Energy, the US Geological Survey, and the state of Kentucky. He has authored or co-authored 64 papers in international scientific journals, 13 conference papers, four book chapters, six book reviews, and essays in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Earth Magazine, and International Educator.

Dr. Fryar is a fellow of the Geological Society of America (GSA) and past chair of its hydrogeology division. He is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the International Association of GeoChemistry, the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), and the National Ground Water Association. He is book review editor of the journal Groundwater and former co-editor of the journal Environmental & Engineering Geoscience. He was a Fulbright Specialist to Pakistan (December 2009–January 2010) and India (February-March 2017) and a Fulbright Scholar to Morocco (January-May 2014). He received the International Service Award from the IAH US National Chapter and the GSA Hydrogeology Division Distinguished Service Award.

Studies of how climate change affects water resources in India have emphasized changes in monsoon rainfall and stream flow. The sensitivity of springs, which are important water sources in rural mountainous areas of northern India, to climate and land use/cover changes has received less attention. Dr. Fryar’s Fulbright-Kalam project proposes to study how karst (limestone) springs on the Shillong Plateau respond to rainfall. He intends to review existing data and reports; select springs for sampling; deploy sensors that record water level, temperature, and chemistry for at least one year; and identify timing and sources of recharge. These activities will be coordinated with local stakeholders.