Senior Fellows

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Commodore Naresh Kumar, VSM (Rtd, Indian Navy)

Commodore Naresh Kumar has served the Indian Navy for 33 years. He did his BE in electrical from REC Srinagar and M Tech in underwater electronics from IIT Delhi and was a team member of the Sonar development project at NPOL. He served in all three professional directorates including Director IT at Naval Headquarters and was Director of System Integration at the Navy’s prestigious organisation WESEE. He had his training in Italy for Combat Management System (CMS) and was also associated with many Indigenous development projects. He has served in Naval Dockyards at Mumbai and Vizag.  He took premature retirement in 2006 and joined as Director Technical of the HSL Vizag. After retirement as CMD HSL in 2010, he served in Pipavav Defence and as Senior Executive Vice President in Reliance defence to set up joint ventures with global majors. He joined IIT Jammu as OSD in 2017 and currently helping IIT to connect with DRDO and Industry to realise National objectives. His Core areas of interest are C4I, secure communication networks, underwater systems, shipbuilding and repairs.        

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Commodore SL Deshmukh, NM (Rtd, Indian Navy)

Commodore SL Deshmukh, Nausena Medal (Retired), has served the Indian Navy for 32 years. He is a Mechanical Engineer qualified in both the Marine & Aviation domains. He also holds a Masters in Defence Studies and a Post-Graduate in the Management domain (gold medalist). He has served onboard ships including aircraft carriers and specialises in both fighter aircraft and Anti Submarines Warfare helicopters.  He held many operational and administrative appointments including Principal Director at Naval HQ, Commodore Superintendent Naval Aircraft Yard, Director of Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology and Project Director of a major Naval Aviation Project.  He is an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College Wellington. Post-retirement from the Indian Navy, he was with Tata Group for 5 years and is currently working with SUN Group‘s Aerospace & Defence vertical as Senior Vice President. He has presented many papers at various International Seminars.  He is a Life Member of the Aeronautical Society of India. He is very active in the academic field and is an avid writer.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Professor (Dr) V Yoga Jyotsna

Professor (Dr) V Yoga Jyotsna is currently the Dean of Five Institutions at Amity University Uttar Pradesh (AUUP) and Heads the Amity Institute for Defence & Strategic Studies.  She is an M. Phil. & Ph. D. from Osmania University, where she has served as Head of the Department of Political Science and Dean-Faculty of Social Sciences. She represented India in Summer Institutes, and Round Table discussions held in Pakistan (1993& 94), the USA (1993 & 2011) and Sri Lanka (2012). She was a visiting faculty at Tanner Humanities Centre, University of Utah-Salt Lake City-USA. and guest faculty to the Department of Military History-Kansas State University-Manhattan-USA. She has been a Guest Faculty with the College of Air Warfare; College of Defence Management & Naval War College in India, speaking on different aspects of International Studies; Foreign Policy; Research Methodology. Her latest publication is titled ‘Securing India- Challenges and Responses’ and is available in CASS Journal 2020 and also a review article on Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar’s ‘The India Way’ in the CASS Journal of the year 2021′. Prof. Jyotsna has worked alongside seven doctoral candidates and 30 M. Phil. Scholars are mostly from Armed Forces. Research interests include India’s Foreign Policy;  National Security;  Indology and  Rare Earth Elements.  

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Rajiv Prakash Saxena

Rajiv Prakash Saxena was the Group Head at NIC for over a decade and was DG prior to retirement after 33 years of service. He has been the man behind the rapid growth of NIC, working on several projects across Union Ministries and other public agencies, including the Parliament, Law & Law Commission, NHRC, NCM, eSign, Certifying Authority (CA) to issue Digital Signature Certificates (DSCs), MoUD, Housing & Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), Delhi Development Authority and many others. He has authored several guidelines to establish operational standards for government agencies and a number of books in the area of his work. He has been teaching and guiding students pursuing research programmes in different institutions. He has done 8 UN assignments across the globe for different UN organisations. Rajiv has won a few awards, including the best alumni from UBC, Vancouver. Rajiv was the founding Director of NCTI and NICSI and advisor to SIDBI and Delhi Police.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Dr David J Lincoln

Dr David Lincoln did his graduation from LSE, London in psychology and has secured his PhD in psychology from Kansas USA. He has played versatile roles in his area of specialization and has worked in countless divergent environments in several countries including the USA, India, Lithuania, and the UK.  He is a Master Practitioner and Trainer in NLP, Naturopathic Doctor, Psychotherapy Trainer, Reiki Master, Trainer of NLP Advanced Neuro Dynamics, and  Certified Hypnotherapist.  Although being a born British national, he is currently based in India/Goa. His research area encompasses the connection between mind and body. He has published more than a dozen books on varied domains related to his area of research. He is the founder and chief mentor of NLP Goa. He is also a psychotherapy trainer and a visiting faculty to the Goa Institute of Management. He has also compiled and delivered much corporate training and has been an advisor to many political organisations, Fortune 500 companies, and their directors. He is the founding president of ANLP India.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Commodore Anil Jai Singh (Rtd, Indian Navy)

Commodore Anil Jai Singh is presently the Vice President of the Indian Maritime Foundation, India’s leading maritime NGO and a Senior Vice President of a leading European MNC. Commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 1981, he served for over three decades as a submarine and Anti-Submarine Warfare specialist. His afloat appointments include the command of four submarines and a Fleet ship.  Ashore, has served in the Directorates of Naval Plans and Submarine Acquisition at the Naval Headquarters, been a Directing Staff at the Naval War College and Chief Instructor (Navy) at the National Defence Academy.  He was also India’s Defence and Naval Adviser in the United Kingdom and thereafter the Deputy Assistant Chief (Maritime) in Perspective Planning and Force Development in the MoD’s  Integrated Defence Staff. He was thus fortunate to have been extensively involved in operations, training and future capability assignments. A post-graduate in Defence and Strategic Studies, he writes and speaks on maritime issues particularly the undersea domain and the Indo-Pacific and has participated in numerous multilateral Track 1.5 initiatives. He is a member and adviser to various think tanks. He is also involved in defence procurement issues, having co-chaired ASSOCHAM’s Defence and Aerospace Committee and is a member of the Defence Audit Advisory Board.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Commodore G Prakash, NM (Rtd, Indian Navy)

Commodore G Prakash, Nau Sena Medal, (Rtd) has served the Indian Navy for 36 years. He is a specialist in Air Warfare and Anti Submarine Warfare. He has had the honour of commanding three warships and four naval bases. He has served at the Naval Headquarters, New Delhi, in the field of Naval Aviation Future Plans and Strategy, Concepts and Transformation. He has vast experience in Operations, Training, Policy-Making and Human Resource Management. He has been lecturing for over fifteen years at the national level on National Security, Doctrine & Strategy, Military History, Leadership etc and has lectured at the National Defence College, the War Colleges, the College of Defence Management, Corporate bodies, Universities and Colleges. He is also a keen writer on a variety of topics.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Commodore BR Prakash (Retd, Indian Navy)

Commodore BR Prakash retired from the Indian Navy after 31 years of service. He has commanded INS Ganga, and INS Vidyut and was the Executive Officer and Principle Warfare officer of INS Gomati and INS Kirpan. Headed the Services Selection Board for the selection of officers into the Armed  Forces. He has also been involved in the joint development of an advanced weapon system in collaboration with IAI, Israel and DRDO scientists. Cmde Prakash is a specialist in Missile and Gunnery warfare and was the Gunnery Officer and Surface Air Missile officer of a number of naval ships including Rajput, Ranvir, and Prabal, Charag. He has also served as Joint Director at Naval Headquarters and at Indian Naval Tactical Evaluation Group Mumbai. He was the Commissioning Commanding Officer of INS Sardar Patel. He is an alumnus of Training Ship Rajendra, Indian Naval Academy and the Defence Services Staff College. He also holds an MSc degree in Applied Psychology as well as in Defence Studies.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Prof S P Kala (Ex-ICLS Officer) MCom, LLB, MBA (Hull-UK)

Prof S P Kala is an Ex Civil Service Officer and later became a Management Guru. He holds almost twenty awards and commendations in the field of social work and education. He has three-lifetime achievement awards which include one from the Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research and another from HNB Garhwal University. He is an expert member of AICTA and inspected almost 250 professional Institutions so far. He has guided eight management PhD projects and has examined 50 PhD theses so far. While in civil service he was  Registrar of Companies, Under Secretary and Deputy Director to GOI. He was a Visiting Professor at IIT Roorkee, GHU Hissar, Delhi School of Economics, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies and Doon Univerity, Dehradun. Prof Kala was the Ex-Director Institute of Company Secretaries of India, Former Head and Dean School of Management and Director of Professional Courses campus HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar & Uttrakhand. Currently, he is the Vice-President Global Research Foundation for Corporate Governance.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Muraleedharan Nair

After completing studies at the University of Kerala, Muraleedharan Nair did a Post-graduate programme in Marketing and Advertising from Bhavan’s Rajendra Prasad Institute of Communication and Management, Mumbai. He has held various positions in the Government, in India, and abroad. Besides publishing research papers in various books and journals, Mr Nair writes commentaries in newspapers and magazines regularly.  He also participates in conferences, seminars, and panel discussions on strategic affairs at different universities, think tanks, TV channels, All India Radio, etc. A Senior Fellow with the Centre for Public Policy Research, he speaks Urdu and Chinese. 

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Venkatraman Sheshashayee (Shesh)

Venkatraman Sheshashayee is an engineer by profession, an alumnus of DMET Kolkata and IIM Bangalore, and has 33 years of professional experience in shipping, manufacturing, services and offshore logistics. He is a master in building greenfield companies, turning around distressed organizations and transforming stagnant operations. As a corporate leader, Shesh has headed many MNCs and has created a wealth of US$ 1.5 billion in realized value, mentoring and coaching over 600 professionals. He runs a boutique advisory that helps MSMEs, startups and Professionals achieve their vision. Shesh runs ‘CEO Chronicles’, a popular blog that has been read and shared more than 100,000 times so far. He is a very seasoned writer based out of Singapore.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Dr K R M Nair PhD, M Tech, MBA, LLB, MIEEE, MIE

Dr K R M Nair is a distinguished Electrical Engineer with almost 50 years of professional and industry experience. In his illustrious career, he was with leading corporate houses like TELK, and Hitachi. Crompton Grieves, Vijay Electricals and Emirates Transformers, Federal Transformers Co. UAE. Apart from PhD in Electrical Engineering, he has vast experience in the design and development of heavy electrical machinery and transformers. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Life Member of the Institution of Engineers. Kolkata. He is also a Life Member of IEEE USA and reviews the technical papers of IEEE. He is also a balloting member for more than 20 IEEE C57 Standards.  He has presented numerous technical papers in International Seminars. Apart from an MBA, he also holds an LLB degree and is a Life Member of the Indian Council of Arbitration. A scholar who is currently focused on strategic electrical technologies aiding defence applications.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Dr C Raghu Nandanan MSc,DMM, PhD

Dr C Raghu Nandanan is a senior researcher in Biological/ Environmental Sciences and Biodiversity with 30 years of experience. He received his PhD from Madras University in alternative medicines. He has done a Special Research Training Program from the Allergy and Asthma Centre, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.  He is a Master in Science/Botany from Annamalai University. Currently, he is the Director of the Adi Sankara Centre for BioResearch, Kalady is involved in extensive research on Biological Sciences. He holds a post-doctoral research fellowship from the Vedic Herbal Research Centre, which is involved in extensive research on the link between monsoon rainfall and Cassia fistula flowering. He is a professional in the medical and pharmaceutical fields. He was involved directly with many bio-diversity projects under central and state governments. He is currently guiding many research programs in Biological Sciences and has a great socio-political profile.

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Madhav Mohan

Madhav Mohan holds a postgraduate degree in MA Economics (gold medalist) from Loyola College, Chennai, an MBA from Cochin University, and a Master of International Management from Thunderbird School of Management, Arizona, USA. He has published over 100 articles on economics, management, and related areas and is the author of the book “Lonely At The Top: Reflections of a Mentor”. Mr. Mohan was awarded the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship in 1981 and a Fellowship of The Salzburg Seminar in 1992 for writing and work related to economic transition. He has served on 2 top-level Reserve Bank of India committees and was invited to visit the USA by the US government in 1995 as part of the Indian Intellectual Property Rights delegation. Madhav Mohan is a pioneer in India’s IT transformation and established India’s first school computer education and software company in 1984 and then set up an IT training institution in 1986 which produced over 1 lac IT professionals in the next 25 years. As a mentor, his work focused on leadership and strategy for personal and organisational growth and also mentored top company CEOs, leaders, and owners of companies in India, Sri Lanka, Qatar, and the USA ranging in size from Rs 400 crores to Rs 37,000 crores. He also mentors to Presidents of Rotary International and was an Advisor to Rotary’s Strategic Planning Committee twice. Madhav Mohan is a Founding Trustee of Rotary India Literacy Mission (RILM). He is a visiting Professor, mentor, and founder member of the Governing Council of GRIMS Management Institute in Vapi, Gujarat. Mr Mohan Delivered over 5000 lectures and speeches on leadership, economics, management, geostrategic affairs, spirituality, martial arts, and personal growth.

Senior Fellow

Prof (Dr) (Cdr) Ashok Kumar Dua  (Rtd, Indian Navy)

Prof (Dr) (Cdr) Ashok Kumar Dua, is a naval veteran and an educationist. During his service of over three decades in the Indian Navy, he has held several key appointments, both afloat and ashore, including deputations abroad. He is an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. After retirement from the Indian Navy, he served as Associate Professor at Krishna Institute of Engineering & Technology, Ghaziabad for almost a decade, where he held several positions including that of Head of Electronics & Communication Engineering Department and Dean. He obtained his PhD in the area of Ethical Leadership from Aligarh Muslim University. His research interests include values, ethics, and leadership. He has presented research papers at International as well as National Conferences and also published them in reputed journals and conference proceedings. An accredited management teacher of AIMA, he is also FIE, FIETE, MIMA, and LMISTE. He is also a volunteer member of Baal Vikaas Bhaaratee and runs a blog http://mpower360.wordpress.com to empower and shape young minds through his blog.

Senior Fellow

Group Captain (Dr) R Srinivasan VSM (Rtd, Indian Airforce)

Group Captain (Dr) R Srinivasan VSM, retired from the Indian Air Force after 33 years of service. He holds MSW, LLB, and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Humanitarian Law. His PhD is in Political Sociology (Governance, Citizenship, and Environmental Movements) from UMISARC Dept of South Asian Studies, Pondicherry University. He is a SCOPUS Indexed author and has published 12 Book Chapters, and 13 Conference Papers on Governance, Local Governance, Regional Cooperation, Women and Armed Conflicts, and the Political Economy of Northeast India and associated areas. He is also conferred with Visisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2012 by the President of India. He has a deep interest in the promotion of human rights. He is an independent researcher, deeply interested in providing opportunities to young research scholars in Social Sciences and Strategic Studies. He is the founder of the Electronic Journal of Social and Strategic Studies (EJSSS) and the Praghna Centre for Research. He also trains young Civil Services/Armed Forces aspirants online as a social service.

Senior Fellow

Group Captain Triloki Krishan Bhatara (Retd, Indian Air Force)

Group Captain Triloki Krishan Bhatara is a post-graduate in Criminology & Forensic Science from Karnatak University, Dharwad. He’s also an alumnus of the College of Defence Management and has a Master in Management Studies He has served in the Administration Branch of the Indian Air Force and specialised in Air Traffic Control, Security, and CI. Post-retirement, Gp Capt Bhatara was empanelled as National Level Monitor [NLM], with the Ministry of Rural Development from 2008 to 2014. He works in the social sector and manages his own NGO, Bhatara Rural Development Foundation. He is a student of Geopolitics, focused on SE Asia.

Senior Fellow

Dr R N Satpathy

Dr RN Satpathy, post-graduated in Computer Science & Engg, Applied Mathematics, MBA (HRD), and Industrial Mathematics from National Institute of Technology – Rourkela and Symbiosys and other leading institutes. He has received 2 PhDs –  one in Computational Mathematics from Utkal University and the other in  Computer Science & Engg from Fakir Mohan University. He has also received a Post-doctoral from the National Institute of Technology – Rourkela and a DSc in Computational Fluid Dynamics from FM University. He has also received a PhD in CSE from Cosmopolitan University (USA), Grand PhD (CSE) from WSU(USA), and DSc (CSE) from IE(USA). He is a Fellow member of the Computer Society of India, a Fellow Charted Educator of CCLP  Worldwide, and a Fellow  Member of ISRD, IETE, ISLE, and SES. He is charted engineer of the Institution of Engineers and IETE. He has received 9 international awards and 35 National/Regional/State awards. Under his guidance PhD awarded to 5 persons, guided 24  M.Tech projects and 144  B.Tech. projects. Dr Satpathy published 5 patents,168 technical papers in different National and International Journals, 74 papers in proceedings, and published 4 books. Before joining as Professor & Dean of Emerging Technologies at Sri Sri University, Dr Satpathy was working as Executive Director of Trident Group of Institutions and at the Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Odisha. He has a total experience of 27 years in academics. Presently he is also a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at Cosmopolitan  University – USA.

Senior Fellow

Prof Rajeev Kumar

Prof. Rajeev Kumar is the Director, Projects and Sustainable Development at the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya. He was the head of the Department of Political Science, at Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Motihari, Bihar, India. He has worked as Head and  Dean-Faculty of  Social Sciences, and Dean-Research and Development at the University. He has also taken additional charge as Registrar and Vice-Chancellor-in-Charge of the University. He is an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University, holds MPhil and PhD, and has been a University rank holder. He is a part of Harax Forum, Crimean Federal University, Simferopol, Crimea. He is a member of the research committee of RC-14 of the International Political Science Association. He is working as Chief Editor/editor/member in the editorial team of many SCOPUS and indexed Journals i.e. National Security and Strategic Planning, a journal of Eurasian Orientation published by Future Society, Serbia; Uttar Pradesh Journal of Social Science Research (ISSN:0975-8852), etc. He is an evaluator of the STRIDE project of the University Grants Commission. He has also completed many minor/major projects including the IMPRESS scheme funded by ICSSR and UGC. Trained in research methodology, he is actively engaged in creating teaching materials, lecture videos, documents, and documentary films and videos. He has supervised eighteen doctoral theses. Prof Rajeev has written six books as a single author besides Edited and contributions in Chapters. He was awarded by Atal Bihari Vajpayee National Award by the All India Political Science Association. His specialisation is international diplomacy/relations, particularly US Foreign Policy.

Senior Fellow

Gp Capt (Dr) AV Chandrasekaran ( Retd, Indian Air Force)

Group Captain AV Chandrasekaran was commissioned in the Indian Air Force in June 1985 and has held various appointments in a career spanning 34 years. The officer has a MA in Defence Studies from the University of Madras and won the coveted Ministry of Defence Gold Medal for being first in overall order of merit, an M Phil in Defence & Strategic Studies from the University of Madras and has submitted his PhD thesis titled “India-China Rivalry- Asia’s Emerging Cold War” to the University of Madras.  He has also authored a book “Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency – A Dangerous War of Nerves” in addition to contributing a number of articles on the subject. His areas of interest include geopolitics, terrorism and national security.

Senior Fellow

Col (Dr) N K Chhibber (Retd, Indian Army

Col (Dr) N K Chhibber (Retd) served in the Indian Army for 34 years. He holds a doctorate degree from Meerut College, on “Sino- Indian Strategic Relations: An Analytical Study, 1962-2010”. He did his masters in Defence Studies from Meerut College and graduated in commerce from Ravenshaw College Cuttack, Orissa. He has qualified in the Management of Education Institutions from Amity, Noida. Dr Chibber has earned a diploma in Disaster Management from IGNOU and an Advanced Work Course study from the Institute of Technology Development, DRDO. He is a member of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi. He has been a regular contributor to strategic issues in China and South East Asia in journals and publications of ARIDSS, ICSSR, and India Studies Centre Bangkok, Thailand.

Senior Fellow

Group Captain P. Aanand Naidu, (Retd Indian Airforce)

Group Captain P Aanand Naidu holds a PG Dip in Air Laws & Air Transport Management from NALSAR University of Law and a Bachelor of Laws – Labour Laws from JNV University, an M.A. in Sociology, and a B.A. in Public Administration. Gp Capt has over three decades of experience in the Indian Air Force, Prasar Bharati, GoI, and Corporate/Non-Profit Org. He has a proven track record at senior levels in Cyber Security Advocacy, Cyber Laws, Aviation Operations, Airport Infrastructure, Litigation Management, Administration, HR Management, Media, PR & Publicity, and training & development. Gp Capt Naidu is the founder and Director of Clean Exit Consultancy Services Pet Ltd, a workplace ethics rating platform. He is also the Director of Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a non-profit cybersecurity organisation and Director of Tactical Cyberange Simulations Pvt Ltd, a cybersecurity startup focussing on cybersecurity labs and services. Earlier, he functioned as Additional Director General, Prasar Baharti (Dec 13-Oct 18), in both Doordarshan and All India Radio. He has been Senior Directing Staff at the Air Force Academy, Head of Operations at Paro International Air Port, Bhutan. He is a member of the Bar Council of Delhi, Aeronautical Society of India (M Ae SI), Broadcast Engineering Society (BES) India, Foundation for Aviation and Sustainable Tourism, Quality Council Of India(QCI), Hony Member, Advisory Board of MRO Business Today and Adjunct Professor, CADL NALSAR University of law.

Senior Fellow

Major A K Raveendran SM (Indian Army Rtd)

A. K. Raveendran SM is a former National Security Guard Commando, film actor, and film director. He was awarded the President’s Gallantry Medal in 1991 and 1992 for his contributions to fighting terrorism in Punjab and Kashmir After retiring from the army, he began his career in Indian cinema as a consultant for military-based films. He made his independent directorial debut in 2006 with Keerthi Chakra for which he won the Kerala State Film Award for best screenplay. He joined the army after his schooling and later pursued his studies within the army and graduated from the Army Cadet College. He was head of the mission code-named Operation One Eyed Jack to capture suspects of the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination (the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu).

Senior Fellow

Brigadier Vivek Lall SM (Rtd, Indian Army)

Brigadier (Retired) Vivek Lall, SM is an Indian Army veteran with a career spanning myriad challenging assignments in India and overseas. Besides operational experience on the LC and LAC as an infantry soldier of the Rajputana Rifles regiment, he has been part of the military-strategic planning process and doctrinal formulation while in the Military Operations Directorate and the Army Training Command. He is a Masters in National Security Strategy from the National Defence University, USA, and is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He has taught International Politics of India and Pakistan at the University of Waikato in New Zealand and currently resides in Canberra, Australia.

Senior Fellow

Captain P Rajkumar SC, NM (G) (Rtd, Indian Navy)

Captain P Rajkumar, SC, NM (G) is an ace pilot, who got commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jul 1987.  He had participated in two consecutive scientific expeditions to Antarctica in the years 1990-91. He is a qualified flying instructor for Naval helicopters and has commanded Helicopter Training Squadron. The captain is the commissioning Commanding Officer of INS Parundu. He also had two tenures at Aircrew Instrument Rating and Categorisation Team and was the Station Flight Safety officer at INS Hansa, Goa. Capt Rajkumar was also the Officer in Charge of Flight and Tactical Simulator, Kochi. He was awarded the Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry) for rescuing scientists in flying the Chetak in whiteout conditions. He was also awarded Shaurya Chakra for rescuing fishermen in pitch-dark conditions during Cyclone Okhi, off the Kerala coast. In addition, he was awarded “Asian of the Year 2019” by “The Straight Times”, based in Singapore for the rescue operations conducted during the Kerala floods in 2018.

Senior Fellow

Prof (Dr) PG Sunil Kumar

Dr Sunil Kumar P G is the Professor and Dean of Naval Architecture at Sree Narayana Gurukulam College of Engineering, Ernakulam. He is an alumnus of Cochin University of Science & Technology, IIT Delhi, and University College London.  He served in the naval architecture cadre of the Indian Navy for 22 years in different capacities, of which 6 years were as the faculty of naval architecture at Cochin University of Science & Technology. Thereafter he had a stint in the corporate world in L&T Shipbuilding and in Sharjah-based Aries Marine and Engineering Services. He is a member of the director board of Aries Marine and Engineering Services Pvt Ltd. He joined academia in 2017 and is a research guide at the Indian Maritime University and the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun. His research interests include structural analysis of ships, design optimisation of ships and offshore structures, and energy-efficient designs.

Senior Fellow

Surgeon Commander (Dr) Ashok Pillai (Rtd, Indian Navy)

Surgeon Commander (Dr) Ashok Pillai MBBS, MD (OBS&GYN) is one of the outstanding specialists with 25 years of service from the Indian Navy and is currently the HOD at Medical Trust Hospital, Kochi. He is a product of AFMC Pune. Prior to leaving service, he was HOD at INHS Sanjivani and Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at INHS Asvini, Mumbai. He specialised in laparoscopic hysterectomy, myomectomy, and ectopic/ovarian cyst management. He is also a specialist in onco-gynaecology including Wertheim’s hysterectomy, Uro-gynaecology, and non-descent vaginal hysterectomies. He is specialized in Amniocentesis and Central vein cannulation. He has a great passion for writing medical literature.

Senior Fellow

Commander (Dr) Arvind Mathur (Rtd, Indian Navy)

Cdr (Dr) Arvind Mathur is a mechanical engineer specialised in marine engineering. He did his MS in Nuclear Engineering from North Carolina University and his PhD in Energy Science and Engineering from IIT, Bombay. He is currently the Associate Dean of the School of Technology Management and Engineering, NMIMS University, Navi Mumbai. Dr Mathur served the Indian Navy for 23 years in various ships and establishments. For most of his career, he worked in India’s nuclear submarine program. He spent five years in BARC doing research in reactor physics and developing new lattice physics computer codes. Before joining NMIMS he was associated with igrenEnergi Service Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai as Director of Operations. He has published research papers in international journals as well as at numerous national and international conferences.

Senior Fellow

Captain Anil Goyal

Capt Anil Goyal has 27 yrs of wide and rich experience in aviation including military and airline operations. He is an experienced aviator with more than 6000 flight hours on commercial, military jets, transport, and training aircraft of more than 30 types. Captain Goyal is an accomplished Experimental Test Pilot with more than 10 years of experience and has exclusive experience as a Project Test pilot on Fighter aircraft upgrades, SARAS and IJT aircraft. He has vast experience in flight test techniques to evaluate aircraft performance, stability and control, flying/handling qualities, avionics, certification, and airworthiness. He also has significant experience in radars, Electro-Optical sensors, communication systems, displays, HOTAS and controls, Human-Machine interfaces, navigation systems, datalink, and Electronic warfare. The captain is also a Qualified Flying Instructor with wide experience in training ab initio experienced operational pilots. He retired from IAF in 2016 after 23 yrs of service. He is presently working with SpiceJet Airline as a Line Captain.

Senior Fellow

Dr Rachna Khanna Singh

Dr Rachna Khanna Singh is a Mental Wellness Expert, and a TEDx Talk speaker, focused on Relationships, Lifestyle & Stress Management, providing Individual, Group, and Corporate Coaching with a strong focus on Hospital and Clinical care. She heads the Department of Holistic Medicine & Wellness at Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon and is the Founder and Director of The Mind & Wellness Studio, Delhi & NGO ‘Serve Samman’. She has conducted workshops for over 300 leading corporate houses and has worked with students of almost 500 schools and colleges in Delhi and NCR. Active in research and in print media, including columns and articles in famous medical journals, magazines, and newspapers, such as Femina, India Today, Men’s Health, The Week, Economic Times, HT Brunch, Times of India, Times Life etc. She frequently appears on electronic media such as CNN, India Ahead, India Today, Times Now, NDTV, Sahara, etc. She is currently the Relationship Expert on Ishq 104.8 FM. She has created awareness of mental health by collaborating with over 50 esteemed Universities and media such as TOI, Indian Express, Times Now, India Ahead TV, Sipping Thoughts, and Gurgaon Lit Fest. Dr Rachna is a visiting lecturer and faculty member of various esteemed educational institutes worldwide such as IIM, IIT, BITS PILANI, Delhi University, NMIMS, Amity University, Himachal Medical Colleges, University of Exeter, University of Minnesota, Royal College of Physicians, etc. She has also been honoured with various awards like the prestigious Dr B.R. Ambedkar Ratna Award, and Karam Veer Puraskaar. In 2017, World Health and Wellness Awards honoured her as one of the 50 Outstanding Women in Healthcare globally.

Senior Fellow

Prof (Dr) Priya Nair Rajeev

Prof (Dr) Priya Nair Rajeev is the Head of ‘The Center of Excellence for Social Innovation and Associate Professor, of OB & HR at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. She is trained in Participant Centered Learning by Harvard Business School and holds a PhD in Management Studies from IIT Madras. She is a recipient of the Highly Commended Award 2011 in the Emerald / EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards in the Management and Governance category. Dr Priya is a Gold medallist and university rank holder at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. She has chaired the placements of the IIM (K) and has steered several academic committees. With more than eighteen years of research and teaching experience in her field, she has conducted several management development programs for the Armed Forces and corporates like Reliance Industries, RPG Group, John Deere, BEL, DRDO, Indian Army and Ministry of Ayush. She has published many articles in international journals. Her areas of interest include managing emotions, leadership and personal growth, social innovation and women in management. Her tailored program on social initiatives for the members of the Navy Wives Welfare Association (NWWA) has received many accolades recently.

Senior Fellow

Colonel Pavithran Rajan (Rtd, Indian Army)

Pavithran Rajan is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the Indian Army in 1992 and served till 2013. who served as an advisor to MHA, GoI. He is an Author, Writer and Entrepreneur.  He is on the Board of Advisors at the E Raksha Research Center; Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, an adjunct faculty at CSRC PEC and regularly consults for numerous organisations in various State and Central governments. He also serves on the board of Dbaux Technologies, Grand Banyan Ventures and Third Entity Security Solutions. He is one of the leading cybersecurity experts in India and has published 6 books so far.

Senior Fellow

Dr VK Rai

Dr VK Rai is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (India) and a Chartered Engineer. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, IIT Kharagpur, and IIM Ahmedabad. He is also the recipient of a Medal and citation by the Indian National Academy of Engineering, for work in the field of Innovative methods of Machinery Fault Diagnosis using Advanced Signal Processing. Dr Rai has dedicated nearly 22 years in Service (Indian Navy), including a Deputation with the Ministry of Railways. He is a Marine Gas-Turbine Specialist with expertise in Underwater, Airborne, Structure Borne Noise, and has served in the Professional Directorates at Naval Headquarters handling various Gas Turbines indigenisation Programs & their life-cycle management, before his premature retirement. Dr Rai has been a Guest Speaker for Noise and vibration Courses and NDT Techniques at various IITs and Premier Technical Institutes. He is a certified vibration Analyst Cat II from Mobius Institute, Australia as well as an ISO/ ASNT certified Level II Vibration Analyst. With Post Graduate Diploma in Management from JBIMS, Mumbai University, and a Management Course from IIM Ahmedabad, Dr Rai has been the founding Program Director in the Defence Innovation Organisation at Dept of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, working towards achieving self-reliance & foster innovation & technology development in Indian Armed Forces through Indigenous Startups.

Senior Fellow

Commander Sravan Kumar Kuntia {Retd, Indian Navy)

Commander Sravan Kumar Kuntia has a M Tech in aerospace engineering from IIT Madras and a second M-Tech in aeronautical engineering from CUSAT. He did his B Tech in mechanical engineering from JNU and PGDBM at NMIMS, Mumbai. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD at Amrita University. He has a keen interest in & appreciation of emerging technologies including big data, AI, ML, blockchain, IoT, IIoT, and Digital Factories. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers (India), Chartered Engineer (India). He obtained an ‘S’ Grade in Aircraft Design and Modelling at IIT Madras as part of the core team of Aeromodelling. He is also a recipient of many certifications from leading Universities in various management domains. He has published more than 5 papers in the International Journal of Engineering and Technology in the last 2 years. He is a reviewer for IEEE Transaction on Instrumentation and Measurement and also a subject matter expert in aerodynamics, CFD, SOM and structures, hydraulic machines, material science, and characterisation and composites.

Senior Fellow

Commander Abhilash Tomy KC, NM (Retd, Indian Navy)

Cdr Abhilash Tomy is a Maritime Reconnaissance Pilot with almost 1400 hrs of flying experience. He has served in two operations squadrons of the Indian Navy and is an alumnus of the Naval Academy, Goa. Abhilash represented India in the Enterprise World Championship 2005 in Sri Lanka and won a bronze medal in the senior YAI nationals in 2016. Cdr Tomy successfully attempted a solo nonstop circumnavigation around the globe under sail in 2012-13 (Sagar Parikrama), to become the first Indian and the second Asian to do so. Abhilash spent 151 days in solitude, sailing more than 40,000 km, and was later received by then Hon’ble President of India Sri Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremonial reception in Gateway of India. He was a special invitee to the Golden Globe Race 2018, a non-stop race around the world in traditional boats using the technology of 1968 from Les Sables d’Olonne in France around the world 60,000 km to finish in Les Sables d’Olonne nos stop without external assistance. Abhilash was in the top three after 82 days of racing, but got hit by a storm in the south Indian Ocean and suffered multiple spine fractures, was later rescued by a multinational effort. He has 65000 nautical miles of sailing experience so far. So far he has taken part in Cape2Rio 2011 (trans-Atlantic race onboard INSV Mhadei), Copa del Rey 2014 (Dr Senis, crew), Korea Cup 2014 and 15 (winning skipper on Edelweiss and crew on Youth of Great Korea), Yacht services manager, Volvo Ocean Race 2008, Bronze in Enterprise-Class, Senior Nationals 2015, Ocean sailing to Aden, Colombo, Port Louis, Langkawi, Phuket, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Falmouth, Dok-do, Uloong-do, Falmouth and Les Sables d’Olonne. His Awards and Recognitions include Kirti Chakra 2013, Nau Sena Medal 2019, Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2013, Mac Gregor Medal for Military Reconnaissance-2013, Doctor of Philosophy (h.c.), YAI Offshore Sailor of the Year 2009, 2013, 2019, CNS Commendation-2009, Amrita TV Award for Outstanding Human Endurance and Courage-2013, Manorama-Idea top two News Makers of 2013. He has authored two books so far.

Senior Fellow

Cdr Sandeep Dhawan(Retd, Indian Navy)

Cdr Sandeep Dhawan served in the Indian Navy from 1988 to 2009. He was a Maritime Reconnaissance Pilot and a Flying Instructor. He has flown eight types of aircraft and has over 12000 hours of flying experience. He has served as Captain with Kingfisher Airlines, SpiceJet, and Jet Airways and is currently with Indigo Airlines. He is a geopolitical analyst and writes for various online websites and organizations. His personal website is insightful.co.in has a huge fan following and a very large viewership.

Senior Fellow

Major Madhan Kumar

Major Madhan Kumar, an Alumnus of the prestigious OTA, an Entrepreneur, Logistics and Supply Chain Management expert, Corporate Speaker, Geopolitical Analyst, and a Mentor for Defense Aspirants. He has done his BTech from Madras University and PGCBM from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He has held various leadership roles in MNCs like Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Nestle India & Mars Wrigley Confectionery. He has also completed leadership certifications like Situational Leadership Level I & II and Great Line Management Level I & II. He is passionate and an avid reader of Geopolitics and strategic studies. He has been the face of the geopolitical debate & discussions in all online & satellite channels of Tamilnadu. He also runs his YouTube channel with Internal Security and geopolitics as the prime focus. He has published more than 20 editorials in leading print media in India & Sri Lanka. He is a guest lecturer and advisor for the Department of Defence Studies and Strategic Studies for reputed Universities in Tamil Nadu. He is co-founder of “Armour of Care” a voluntary force that helps various state governments in disaster & crisis management. He is also the founder of “Dream of Defence” a voluntary organisation that guides the youth of India toward a career in defence and civil services. He is an avid runner and has done over 10+ marathons so far.

Senior Fellow

JU Nambi

JU Nambi is the Chief Technical Officer of M/s Lyle Technologies, a pioneer establishment based out of Coimbatore, engaged in the development of wearable devices for healthcare and industry, automotive ECUs, electric mobility, IoT, security systems, industrial automation and obsolesces mitigation of defence electronics. He is an M Tech degree holder from Anna University in laser. Has 30 years of professional experience in electronics and laser-based system design, IC design, system re-engineering, and laser-based systems. Has the expertise in building custom solutions for products, managing composite teams of various sizes and working with large MNCs

Senior Fellow

Dr Ravindra Gupta

Dr Ravindra Gupta is a Consultant, Advisor, and board Member in companies spanning sectors like Healthcare, Retail, IT, and Education. A dynamic professional in Corporate Governance, Marketing, Sales, and Operations with over 25 years of strong, decisive executive leadership in well-known organisations. He is currently Head as CMD for Aviyana Group which is in HR Solutions, Healthcare, Infrastructure, Real Estate, etc. Dr Gupta is one of the most acclaimed faculty in Marketing and branding affiliated with some of the leading Education Brands such as iFeel, ITM, Dr. Dy. Patil, Bhartiya Vidyapeeth & MGM, etc. A versatile speaker on various industry forums and a mentor to the prestigious llT Bombay entrepreneurship cell. Dr Gupta has been functionally engaged in establishing a presence for pharma majors in various locations within the country like Micro Labs Ltd, Wanbury Ltd., Aventis Pharma Ltd, and Lloyds Labs. Have been associated in healthcare among the top management cadre personnel of 1500 bedded Asia’s biggest hospital SevenHills Hospital & Health-city. Besides being nominated among the top 50 Global thinkers from India by MTC Global Foundation, other notable present affiliations include board members at Oriental Group of Institutes, -Zynara Healthcare Pvt. Ltd, ChangeNetworks Pvt. Ltd. & Tesseract Global leading IT Solutions companies. He is also the Strategic Advisor for the Asia Pacific for the world’s leading digital health company NCORD Healthcare LLP.

Senior Fellow

Prof (Dr) Sanoj Rajan

Professor Sanoj Rajan is a Professor of International Law and Human Rights. He is presently appointed as a Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou and is affiliated with Harvard Humanitarian Initiative at Harvard University. He is also the visiting Professor, at the Indian Society of International Law, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty and the International Christian University at Kinshasa, Congo. He was Associate Director, Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research (HPCR) at Harvard University, the ICCR India Chair Visiting Professor at CUHK Faculty of Law, Hong Kong, and the head of the Academic Programs Division, the International Committee of the Red Cross for the South Asian countries and Iran. He had also been the Professor and Dean at the School of Law, Sushant University(formerly Ansal University), India, and Professor and Head, at the School of Law at North Cap University Gurgaon. He is also among the Founding Governance Board members of Statelessness Network Asia Pacific (SNAP), which is a UNHCR initiative involving 50 countries in the Asia Pacific region. His research and teaching interest include International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights Law, Refugee Law, Statelessness and Citizenship Laws. He is a Commonwealth Scholar and holds a PhD, LLM in International Law, and Mst. in Human Rights (Oxford University). He has the credit of delivering invited talks on International Law and Human Rights topics in more than 45 institutions in multiple countries including Canada, the USA, Hong Kong, Sweden, The Netherlands, Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Iran, Thailand, Malaysia, and India. He also holds the credit of being the first Indian to be invited to lecture at The International Criminal Court at the Hague. He is widely published nationally and internationally which includes books, research articles in peer-reviewed journals, book reviews and op-eds. He is a Member of the Editorial Board of the Indian Society of International Law Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law and Refugee Law, Since 2011.

Senior Fellow

Dr Nanda Kishor M S

Dr Nanda Kishor M S holds an M.Phil. and PhD in Political Science from Hyderabad Central University. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, at Manipal Academy of Higher Education. He completed his Postdoc at the University of Leiden, Netherlands with an ERASMUS MUNDUS Fellowship from the European Union. His interest covers Political Theory and Public Administration, India’s Foreign Policy, the Concept of War and Peace in Geopolitics, Terrorism and Asymmetric Conflicts, and Comparative Politics with special reference to the USA, UK, Russia and China, and India’s National Security and Defence Management. He is a recipient of the Short-Term Junior Research Fellowship by UNHCR, Brookings (USA), the Government of Finland, and MCRG (Kolkata). He was with Hochschule University of Applied Sciences, Bremen, Germany on a short-term fellowship program by DAAD sponsored program of HS Bremen. Dr Kishor is also conferred with the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) by the United States State Department of Government of the United States of America (USA). He is an Analyst at Islamic Theology of Counter-Terrorism, London and a Visiting Fellow to AIDIA, Kathmandu, Nepal. He has a number of publications in journals and edited volumes.

Senior Fellow

Dr Arun Surendran

Dr Arun Surendran is the Strategic Director and Principal of Trinity College of Engineering Trivandrum. He holds his Masters and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University after his BTech from IIT Bombay. He was awarded the prestigious Eppright Outstanding International Student Award, the highest honour given by Texas A&M University. Dr Arun is the Honorary Fellow for Robotics with the Kerala Startup Mission. He is one of the founding directors of Adcy.io Cybersecurity Solutions. He has been a guest faculty at the Kerala Civil Services Academy and the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology. He was the chair of the Young Indians (Yi) Trivandrum chapter, the subsidiary of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Currently, he is a National General Council member of CII-Yi. He has authored two books The Startup Habit and The 7Cs of Entrepreneurship. His first collection of poems has been published under the title Stirrups.

Senior Fellow

Prof (Dr) M Elangovan M.Eng, D.Eng

Dr M. Elangovan is a Mechanical Engineer and a Naval Architect professional associated with the marine industry for more than 20 years.  He did his Doctor of Engineering from Hiroshima University, Japan. He started his career at the National Ship Design and Research Centre, India as a Designer and later as a Senior Designer. Later he joined M/s Allseas Engineering (Marine Consultancy), Dubai and at M/s Jagson International Ltd, India. As a research fellow, he has developed software to estimate the sea-keeping qualities of the high-speed ship with a transom stern. He was also with the Hydrodynamics group under R&D. He has published more than 40 research papers. Later he joined Naval Architectural Package (NAPA), India as a Senior Technical Consultant and GreenSHIP Research and Technology as a Technical Director. Currently, he is the Professor at “Vel Tech Rangarajan D.r Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology and is engaged in a consultancy project Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL)”.

Senior Research Fellow

Bimal Prasad Mohapatra

Bimal Prasad Mohapatra, an academician, novelist, and columnist is a post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication and Master of Business Administration. His first novel “Travails of LOVE” was published by Partridge Publishing in 2013 and his second novel “Bimal’s ANAND MATH” was published in 2021 by Notion Press. He writes columns on Geopolitics, International Relations, Media, and National Socio-Political-Cultural-Educational issues for DRaS, The Kootneeti, Orissa Post, MyVoice, OpIndia, The Diplomatists, The Avenue Mail, Delhi Post, Outlook Afghanistan, The Manila Times, Eduvoice, Imphal Free Press, etc. Presently, he is a Senior Research Fellow in Think Tank Defense Research and Studies (DRaS) and teaching as Assistant Professor of Management Studies (Marketing, Entrepreneurship Development, etc.) at Trident Group of Institutions, Bhubaneswar. Apart from writing novels and columns, he also participates in University level Panel Discussions. Prior to joining academia, he worked in corporate firms for a decade in New Delhi and other cities in India, and another one and half decades in institution administration before finally joining teaching as Assistant Professor a decade back.

Senior Research Fellow

N C Bipindra

N. C. Bipindra has been a journalist for over 20 years specialising in military affairs, aerospace and defence economics, diplomacy, national security and strategic affairs. He is the editor of Defence. Capital magazine and has previously worked at the Times of India, New Indian Express, Press Trust of India and Bloomberg News, writing on the subjects he specialised in. He is also a commentator on national security in newspapers and on television channels. He graduated in law from the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University-affiliated Dr Ambedkar Government Law College in Chennai, and practices as an advocate in the Delhi-based Courts and Tribunals, the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India. He is also the Chairman of New Delhi-based think tanks Law and Society Alliance’ and ‘Indian Strategic Interests Foundation’ that work on matters such as human rights, legislation, international laws, legal reforms, education reforms, self-reliance and ‘Make in India’ in the aerospace and defence sectors, and national security and strategic affairs. He is also the Managing Trustee of the New Delhi-based Centre for South Indian Studies’ which focuses on research on social, cultural, linguistic, economic and political aspects of the six southern Indian states and union territories.

Research Fellow

Squadron Leader Toolika Rani (Retd, Indian Air Force)

Squadron Leader Toolika Rani (Rtd, Indian Air Force) has served Indian Air Force for ten years as an Air Traffic Controller and Outdoor Training Instructor. She has completed 23 mountaineering/ trekking expeditions so far across the world. She has the unique distinction of being the first woman from Uttar Pradesh to climb Mt. Everest and the first Indian Woman to climb Asia’s highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran. She is a fierce advocate of gender equality, environment conservation and human unity. She delivers motivational lectures at educational institutions and corporates. She has been felicitated with Rani Laxmi Bai Gallantry Award by the Uttar Pradesh govt., FICCI Global Woman Award, Hindustan Times Woman Award, Prathma Women Achievers Award, Delhi Ratan and Meerut Ratan. She is on the Advisory Board of IMAF (Itvara Mountaineering and Adventure Forum) and is the spokesperson of Bhootpoorva Sainik Sangha (Ex-Servicemen Federation). Currently, she is doing her PhD at Ambedkar University, Lucknow. She is an eminent writer and has diverse interests in adventure sports, travel, social issues and geopolitics.

Research Fellow

Prof Amit Das

Prof Amit Das is an alumnus of BHU with 18 years of teaching experience in higher education and research. Presently heading the Centre for AI & Machine Learning, The ICFAI University Dehradun. His area of research is AI, Cognitive Computing and Nature-based Computing. Prof Das also takes an interest to deploy such technologies in the field of Defence, National Security & Digital Diplomacy. He is a constant China Watcher for Strategic AI & Technological warfare.  

Research Fellow

Manish Kumar Jha

Manish Kumar Jha is currently the Editor of BW BusinessWorld & BW Defence. He is a prolific writer on defence & foreign affairs. His global editorial work covers more than 25 countries worldwide. Manish is a recipient of the International Press Fellowship award. He has written many articles, editorial pieces, and international features/reports in The Indian Express, The Financial Express, DNA, The Hindu – Business Line, and also in International publications, Geopolitical Monitor and Korea Press Foundation. He is a graduate of Political Science and Economics from the University of Delhi, did his Executive Program in Management at Shailesh J Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay, and holds a Masters in Communications from Amity School of Communications.

Research Fellow

Dr Nakul Parameswar

Nakul Parameswar is an Assistant Professor in the Strategic Management Area at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). He obtained his PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Prior to joining IRMA, Dr Nakul worked with the Indian Institute of Management Jammu, Bennett University (Times of India Group), and Vellore Institute of Technology (Deemed to be University). Further, Dr Nakul had a brief corporate experience with Havells India Ltd. prior to his PhD. Nakul has published several research papers and case studies as well as presented his work at conferences of international repute. His areas of research include strategic alliances, joint ventures, internationalization, technology transfer, and start-up management.  His work received the Best Paper Award at The 15th Annual World Congress of the Academy of Global Business Advancement 2018 organized at the National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand, and The Consortium of Students in Management Research (COSMAR) 2016 organized by the Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, India. He was accorded the Distinguished Fellow Award by the Academy of Global Business Advancement in the year 2018.

Research Fellow

Arjun Gidwani

Arjun Gidwani is an International Business and Geopolitical Risk Consultant based in Hyderabad with more than 12 years of experience in Market Research, Geopolitical Research and Analysis, International Trade Analysis, and Macroeconomic Analysis. He has a post-graduate degree in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Delhi, and has also completed his studies in Advertising Management and Public Relations from MICA, Ahmedabad. He specializes in MENA and South-East Asian geopolitics, research, and strategy. He has worked on market entry strategies, geopolitical risk assessment, export market development, and export product planning for Indian manufacturing companies into new geographic markets with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South-East Asian countries. He has published research papers, monographs, and articles on Geopolitics, Emerging Technology & International Economics as a member of two leading think tanks in India and is associated with policy research groups in the Middle East and a corporate security & risk management forum in South East Asia. He has also conducted research and developed associations in the Arabian Thoroughbred Equine industry as a member of the policy drafting Race Committee for the Dubai World Cup – Horse Racing.

Research Fellow

Jay Maniyar

Jay Maniyar is a Researcher associated with the National Maritime Foundation in New Delhi, India.  His core work lies in the domains of International Relations, the Maritime Domain, and Strategic Studies.  His geographical focus areas are the Indian subcontinent, Southeast and East Asia, and the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific regions.  His work with the NMF has involved a three-year research association that has resulted in a number of published articles for the NMF. Jay is presently undertaking two Book Projects for the NMF on Japan and South Korea’s geopolitical, geo-economic, and geostrategic interests for India’s most prominent maritime think-tank.  He has also gained considerable acclaim through his published work (close to 70 articles) for several other prominent organisations, as also for innumerable reputed journals and magazines. He is also an independent and freelance researcher.

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