Archives: Meet Our India Fulbrighters

Richa Singh

Dr. Richa Singh did her PhD in 2020 under the supervision of Dr. Manjari Jain at the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER) Mohali, Punjab. Her thesis examines the effect of three important environmental factors (light, temperature and ambient noise) on the acoustic signaling of a nocturnal ensiferan insect, Acanthogryllus asiaticus. After her PhD, she moved to the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi , to monitor bird populations using a machine learning approach. She is currently working as a p roject s cientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

Dr. Singh is a recipient of a DST-Inspire Fellow ship and has qualified for the UGC-NET examination. She is an Executive Committee member of the Ethological Society of India and has published her research work in reputed international journals. She has won various travel grants to present her work on international platforms such as the International Bioacoustics Congress Travel grant award from University of Sussex, UK, Association for the Study of Animal Behavior Diversity travel grant award from University of Konstanz, Germany, DST International travel grant, Government of India and Animal Behavior Society Diversity travel grant from University of Illinois, Chicago. She secured third place in the 3MT (3-minute thesis) competition in Behavior Conference at University of Illinois, Chicago, in 2019. She got the best oral presentation awards (National Conference on Behavioral Ecology, Gujarat, 2017 and Young Ecologists Talk and Interact, Assam, 2017) and the best poster presentation awards (Conference on Insect Biodiversity Studies, Kerala, 2016 and National Symposium on Behavioural Ecology, Varanasi, 2014).

Frog-biting mosquitoes and their host are confronted with unprecedented growing anthropogenic noise levels. It is unknown how such novel acoustic conditions will affect mosquitoes in detecting, recognizing, and localizing their hosts. As a Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Fellow , Dr. Singh will use a neuroethological approach to understand the behavioral responses and underlying mechanisms of organisms under novel noisy conditions. In particular, her research will shed light on the effect of anthropogenic changes on vector-host interactions.

Manpreet Singh

Dr. Manpreet Singh is a postdoctoral F ellow at Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI), Prayagraj (Allahabad). His research interest is in low dimensional topology. Before joining HRI, he was an Integrated PhD student in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali. He received his master’s degree and PhD under the supervision of Dr. Mahender Singh, in 2021. During his PhD, he worked on algebraic and combinatorial aspects in knot theory. He has published several research articles in reputed international journals.

During the Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, he will work on exploring connections among algebraic and geometric invariants of knots. He aims at understanding certain colorings of alternating diagrams of prime links using the elements of the first homology groups of cyclic branched coverings of links. In the last two decades, many algebraic structures have been introduced as invariants of (ramified) knots. Dr. Singh is planning to delve into the intricacies of such invariants from a geometric facet.

Shivani Sharma

Dr. Shivani Sharma received her BSc (Honors) from Gargi College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, in 2013. After that, she joined the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune (IISER-Pune), for an Integrated MS-PhD program. After completing her MS in 2015, she joined the research group of Prof. Sujit K Ghosh to pursue her doctoral studies. Her work was focused on the design and synthesis of neutral nitrogen donor linker-based metal-organic frameworks with a focus on sequestration and sensing of toxic pollutants. She has published several research articles in reputable international journals. She qualified for the IIT-JAM examination and was awarded the CSIR-SRF research Fellow ship. Her other recognitions include the Best Poster Award at a conference hosted by RSC Porous Materials Group, UK .

She is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Dr. Alexander C Forse at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, UK. Her work is focused on the design of novel sorbents for carbon capture.

For her Fulbright-Nehru postdoctoral stint, Dr. Shivani will be working in the research group of Prof. Jeffrey R Long at the University of California, Berkeley, CA. Her project aims to develop new porous materials for the capture of highly toxic ions and the extraction of trace/precious metal ions from various waste/seawater by electrochemical methods. She is passionate about achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including freshwater security and sustainable development.

Balaji Sedithippa Janarthanan

Dr. Balaji Sedithippa Janarthanan is a s cientist at the ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (NIAP), New Delhi. His research work revolves around agricultural growth, transformation and development in India. His current work focuses on farmers’ income, governance impacts and agricultural trade. He has been part of the research team contributing to the Committee on Doubling Farmers’ Income, and has coordinated the research of a network of institutions in the project Structural Transformation, Regional Disparity and Institutional Reforms in Agriculture at NIAP. He obtained his Ph D for his thesis titled ‘Agricultural Growth, Rural Non-Farm Employment and Poverty in India’, from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. He was a Visiting Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington DC. He received R.T. Doshi Award in 2021 and 2018, Young Agricultural Economist Award in 2020, Uma Lele-AERA (India)-AAEA Mentorship Award in 2018, and Best Research Paper Presentation Award in 2015.

As a Fulbright- Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellow, at the University of Georgia, Dr. Balaji SJ will focus on the means of achieving inclusive income growth in agriculture and reducing poverty among the Indian farmers. He will explore the spatial income characteristics at a highly disaggregated level for about two decades in the country, and will develop a model to explain how technology, resource use, market, and policies shall enhance farmers’ income across space, notably the poor.

Priti Samyukta

Dr. Priti Samyukta completed her bachelor’s d egree from JNTU, College of Fine Arts, Hyderabad, in 2001, and her master’s d egree in Fine Arts from the University of Hyderabad in 2003. She received her PhD in the month of July 2021, under the supervision of Dr. P K Khandoba, from Gulbarga University, Karnataka. Her research topic for her PhD, “A comparative study of Batik and Kalamkari paintings – with special reference to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh”, is a compiled work of a historical overview of the two art forms on fabric and its presence in today’s art context. Dr. Samyukta has published several research papers in reputed n ational and i nternational j ournals, and has attended several seminars and conferences. Dr. Samyukta is also a painter. She has attended art camps and participated in several art exhibitions . She has also curated art exhibitions in India and abroad. She has won several awards, like The Hyderabad Art Society Award (2003 & 2009), HYBIZ TV Award (2021), 9th Faculty Branding Award (2021), Karnataka State Govt , and the BV Halabavi Award (2021). Her paintings are with collectors in India and abroad. Presently, Dr. Samyukta is Head, Department of Painting, College of Fine Arts, JNAFA University, Hyderabad.

The topic for her p ostd octoral thesis, “Women in Quilt Art of the Gulf South Region: An Investigation into their contribution to the 21st Century America”, is to look at the historical overview of the American Narrative Quilt women artists and the Gees Bend community of Alabama and their contribution to uphold “quilt” as an art form in today’s American art. Dr. Samyukta would want to introduce, simultaneously, South Indian textiles to the quilt artists, while practicing quilt with them and researching as well. She would finally bring back the nuances of American Quilt Art to Telangana’s Quilters, enlightening them about how quilts of Telangana can be art specific as well.

Surjit Sahoo

Dr. Surjit Sahoo is currently working as a National Post doctoral Fellow at the School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He completed his PhD in Mechatronics Engineering from Jeju National University, South Korea. He joined as a PhD scholar in the Nanomaterials System lab in 2016 under the “Brain Korea Fellowship” scheme. His thesis work was focused on the electrochemical energy storage devices (supercapacitors), energy harvesting systems (nanogenerator), and the fabrication of self-powered devices for both energy conversion and storage using nanomaterials (transition metal oxides (TMOs), transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs), and 2D materials. The thesis topic was “Development of Nanostructured Electrode Materials for Self-Charging Supercapacitor Power Cell”.

He received his m aster’s degree in Electronics Science from Jadavpur University, Jadavpur, West Bengal, and b achelor’s degree in Electronics Science from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha . He worked as a junior research Fellow at IIT Bhubaneswar . He has published over 35 research articles as first author and co-author in leading international journals and attended about 40 conferences (both international and domestic) to demonstrate his research experiences. He has a total journal citation count of about 1500, with h-index and i10-index of 24 and 34, respectively.

Dr. Sahoo’s Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research focuses on the “development of flexible-stretchable micro-supercapacitors towards driving of portable and wearable electronics”. The outcome of this work is expected to provide insights into the fabrication of various types of micro-supercapacitors with high performance metrics.

Rohit Ravi

Dr. Rohit Ravi earned his PhD from Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Karnataka, under the guidance of Dr. Krishna Yerraguntla & Dr. Bellur Rajashekhar. He is working at the Department of Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology, Kasturba Medical College, MAHE, Mangalore . His areas of research include pediatric audiology and rehabilitative audiology. He has over 35 peer- reviewed international publications which have been widely cited. He serves as an academic editor for PLOS ONE and is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Audiology and Otology. He serves as a reviewer for over 15 peer-reviewed indexed journals in the field of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. He has been successful in receiving funding from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. He is the recipient of the prestigious Audiology/Hearing Research Travel Award by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. He has also been accepted for the 2022 Audiology Early Career Professionals Program by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association.

Dr. Ravi will be pursuing his Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) at Utah State University under the mentorship of Dr. Karl White, who is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on early identification and treatment of hearing loss. His research at NCHAM will help gain experience and expertise from well-established and successful Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) programs in the United States that can help in expanding and improving the implementation of UNHS programs in India.

Dibyashakti Panda

Dr. Dibyashakti Panda obtained his BSc from Dharanidhar Autonomous College, Keonjhar, in 2014 and MSc from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela in 2016. He then received his Ph D in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Bhaskar Kundu at NIT . His doctoral research involved crustal deformation and seismic hazard assessment of the Indo-Burmese Arc region by using geodetic measurements, which has a huge impact on human society. He was also associated with several other research problems, e.g. earthquakes and v olcano related deformation, g reat earthquakes cycles and related deformation process, p late boundary vs. p late interior deformation process, c limate and tectonic interaction, etc. He has published several research papers in a wide range of international journals. He has been awarded the Institute Silver Medal in MSc Applied Geology (2014-2016) from NIT Rourkela, secured the second position in Science Category during Research Scholars Week 2019, NIT Rourkela, and qualified CSIR-NET 2020 for Lectureship/Assistant Professor with All India Rank 1. He has also received both national and international grants from both the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), India, and American Geophysical Union Student Travel Grant to attend the AGU Fall Meeting 2018 in Washington D.C. .

During his postdoctoral work supported by the Fulbright-Nehru F ellowship, Dr. Panda will try to provide a clear picture about the interseismic coupling and earthquake potential along the Himalayan arc by considering dense geodetic networks. The present proposal will also provide a novel method to update the kinematic coupling picture of the Himalayas by inverting GPS-derived velocity fields. Further, a realistic and precise 2D and 3D numerical dynamic fault model will be constructed to characterize the long-term fault behavior and earthquake rupture propagations.

Raj Mukhopadhyay

Dr. Raj Mukhopadhyay obtained his bachelor’s degree from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal, in 2012 and a master’s degree from Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, in 2014. He received his PhD from ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute in 2018. He is currently working as a s cientist at ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute . His research focused on removal of organic and inorganic contaminants (metals, metalloids and emerging contaminants) from soil and water using surface modified natural clay minerals, biowastes, and nanomaterials. Dr. Mukhopadhyay has published about 25 papers on environmental remediation in journals of national and international repute. He received the IC-IMPACTS (the India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnerships to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability) Summer Institute Award on “Nanotechnologies for Safe & Sustainable Infrastructure, Integrated Water Management and Public Health”, from University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, in 2016 and the Clay Minerals Group Bursary A ward in 2019 from the Clay Minerals Group of Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, UK .

While Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are contaminants of global concern and known as ‘forever chemicals’ due to their extremely persistent nature, development of novel, inexpensive and eco-friendly technologies is the need of the hour to tackle the PFAS issues in water and soil systems. D uring Dr. Mukhopadhyay’s Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship, he is developing engineered clay mineral adsorbents using naturally available clay minerals and biowastes for removing PFAS from contaminated water and reducing PFAS bioavailability to wheat crop, deciphering an inexpensive and green PFAS remediation method.

Utkarsh Kumar

Prof. Utkarsh Kumar has taught as a guest Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi. Prof. Kumar received his PhD in Sociology from the University of Delhi in 2019. He was the recipient of the ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship. Dr. Kumar obtained his Masters in Social Work from the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra. Previously, during his professional stint in the development sector with PRADAN, Prof. Kumar designed and implemented various livelihood prototypes at the grassroots. His research interests span Anthropology of Care and Caring profession, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and the political economy of mineral resource extraction. Prof. Kumar has several research articles to his credit. I n 2020, Prof. Kumar authored commissioned research documents on the ongoing conflict and negotiations around mega power projects in Jharkhand. He has also offered consultancy for the ‘just transition’ in the e nergy sector to s outh Asia- based advocacy groups, viz. The Research Collective and Public Finance and Public Accountability Collective.

The Heavy Mining Equipment (HME) technology has arguably become a crucial global mediator in resource extractive industrial operations. A multi-site ethnographic field stint expedited by the Fulbright-Nehru P ostdoctoral Research grant is an attempt to understand the designing imperatives of the HME machinery produced in the global North, and to trace social relations fostered and shaped around deployment practices of these machines in the global South. The aim is to capture socio-cultural imaginations and aspirations of social actors and institutions associated with the designing, circulation, and deployment practices of HME technology.