Inaugural cohort from government, nonprofit and private sector gains deeper understanding of India’s approach to AI, energy, cybersecurity and more
Seven U.S.-based mid-career professionals from government, nonprofit and private sectors returned from India this spring with deeper expertise and plans to apply their insights to their work, thanks to the Motwani Jadeja India Fellowship, a new program from the 21st Century India Center at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS).
Between February and May, the fellows spent a month each in India building relationships with government officials, policy experts, academics and local communities, and on June 5, they gathered at UC San Diego to present their findings and connect with the campus community.
The center’s fellowship program, made possible through generous support from the Motwani Jadeja Foundation, gives high-potential professionals from diverse sectors direct experience in India and the opportunity to build India expertise they can apply to their careers back in the U.S.
The fellows came from influential U.S.-based organizations including RAND, ORF America and Schneider Electric. This year’s cohort tackled a wide range of sectors and issues: artificial intelligence, critical minerals, energy security, cybersecurity, food policy and global health. Hosted by India’s premier institutions — Ahmedabad University, Ashoka University and O.P. Jindal Global University — the fellows met with government officials, attended conferences and engaged with think tanks, nonprofits and organizations working across India.
Through these experiences, they built professional networks that will shape their careers for years to come.
“The fellowship helped me see that India is not just a market or a trading partner,” said Michael Carter, a senior policy specialist at a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. “It’s a player in its own right, and it has its own unique and interesting perspective to bring to policy discussions.”
Fellows described the experience as transformative. They emerged with deepened expertise in an underrepresented region and concrete plans for applying their new insights to their work.
Sheila Casserly, who studied India’s cybersecurity policy during her fellowship, identified innovative approaches that she is now working to adapt for her organization’s global operations. She said she found India’s model particularly compelling for addressing challenges that developing countries around the world face.
At the June 5 symposium, fellows presented on their fieldwork insights, discussed the networks they built and how their India experience will advance their careers and inform their work on global issues.
The event included dedicated mentoring sessions with GPS students. The center matched GPS students with fellows for discussion on their career paths, giving students direct exposure to practitioners working on issues affecting global conversations and policy decisions.
“The mentorship event provided a unique insight into the realities of the professional world once students step out of academia,” said Lyna Remadna, a GPS student. “The professionals we met gave us detailed advice on how we could present our academic skills and experiences in an AI-run world while job hunting after our degree.”
The fellowship program exemplifies the center’s commitment to fostering a deeper understanding of India’s economy, policies and people while catalyzing U.S.-India partnership through research, education and policy engagement at every level.
“It’s been deeply fulfilling to support these fellows from the very beginning through fellowship preparation, their time in India, and now their return,” said Lisa Patel, the assistant director of the 21st Century India Center. “For most of them, this was their first substantive engagement with India, yet they’re coming back as bridges between U.S. and Indian institutions with invaluable networks and deeper expertise. The most rewarding part is seeing them come back and share how they plan to apply the insights they gained in India.”
Building on the success of this inaugural cohort, the center plans to support another fellowship cohort in the coming academic year, continuing to develop the next generation of U.S. leaders with deep India expertise and commitment to strengthening U.S.-India relations.