The founding cohort of the Postdoctoral Fellowship in China Studies (PFCS)—offered jointly by the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and the Harvard-Yenching Institute (HYI, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)—has been selected and placed at the University of Hyderabad and Ashoka University. This fellowship is a unique opportunity for recent Ph.D. scholars in China Studies (Indian nationals) to conduct research and teach at top Indian universities.
The two-year fellowship aims at developing critical insights, generating original research, producing new knowledge, and developing expert competence in China Studies across Indian institutions. Based on a ‘hub-and-spoke model’, this program aims to make UoH one of the leading centres for China Studies in the country in partnership with Harvard-Yenching Institute and other Indian academic and research institutions. Currently, UoH is in the process of signing academic partnerships with Visva-Bharathi, Christ University, Gauhati University and Doon University.
The fellows selected for the program are:
Dr. Tiasangla Longkumer
Dr. Tiasangla Longkumer is hosted at the University of Hyderabad. She received her Ph.D. from the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, JNU, where she examined the role of American philanthropic foundations in the creation of modern public health in China and India. She is a recipient of numerous fellowships, including the ICS-HYI multiyear fellowship in China Studies, the CIVS Fellowship at Ashoka University, the Ashoka-HYI MLSP, AAS EIAC Research Grant, and the Ashoka MacFarquhar Fellowship. She is a researcher in China-India Public Health Studies, with research interests spanning the history of medicine, medical humanities, and global health.
Dr. Sanjeevan Pradhan
Dr. Sanjeevan Pradhan is hosted at Ashoka University. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Nevada, Reno, USA, an M.A. from Tsinghua University, China, and completed his undergraduate degree at JNU, New Delhi. His research lies at the intersection of Comparative Politics and International Relations, with a focus on Chinese politics, India-China relations, strategic narratives, rising powers, and global governance. His current work examines how political leaders use narratives to build domestic support for costly international initiatives, drawing on comparative case studies of India and China.
The Department of Political Science, School of Social Sciences, is the anchoring unit of this Postdoctoral Program.