Mr. Pranav S, a final-year student of the Integrated MA in Economics program at the School of Economics, University of Hyderabad (UoH), has been selected for the highly competitive Future Research Talent (FRT) program at the Australian National University (ANU), Canberra. Currently based at ANU, he is undertaking an 11-week research project under this scholarship, which aims to foster research collaboration & academic excellence among outstanding students from top Indian institutions.
As part of the FRT program, he is working on a project titled “Early Childhood Shocks and Their Impact on Healthy Ageing” at the National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health, ANU. His research explores the long-term effects of early life adversities, ranging from caste-based discrimination & natural disasters to social policy interventions, on later-life health outcomes, specifically in Indian context. The study is supervised by Dr. My Tran & Dr. Jinhu Li, renowned researchers in the field of public health & life course epidemiology. The FRT scholarship provides a research stipend of AUD 8500 to support his academic & living expenses.
During his stay in Australia, he had the distinct honour of meeting His Excellency Mr. Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner of India to Australia, in Canberra. He also had the opportunity to interact with Prof Chennupati Jagadish, President of the Australian Academy of Science & the IoE Chair Professor at UoH. These meetings were both personally inspiring and professionally enriching, offering valuable perspectives on India’s growing role in global research & academic diplomacy.
Pranav is expressing his heartfelt gratitude to all teachers at the School of Economics UoH for the academic foundation & mentorship that enabled this achievement. Prof. Phanindra Goyari (one of his teachers) said – “Congratulations Pranav for the prestigious FRT Fellowship. We are all very happy for your achievement. Your participation in the FRT program not only highlights the global academic potential of our students but also serves as a proud representation of the University of Hyderabad on the international research stage”.