UoH Alumnus Dr. Aniruddha Jena Awarded Prestigious King’s College London Charles Wallace India Trust Visiting Fellowship

The University of Hyderabad (UoH) takes pride in announcing that Dr. Aniruddha Jena, alumnus of the Department of Communication, has been awarded the 2025–26 King’s College London Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT) Visiting Fellowship.

This biennial fellowship, among the most prestigious recognitions in the Arts, Heritage, and Humanities, is awarded to only one early to mid-career India-based scholar every two years. The fellowship carries a total value of £5,500 from CWIT, in addition to a £1,000 professional development top-up from King’s College London and a £700 travel grant.

Academic Journey and Achievements

Dr. Jena is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Communications at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kashipur. He pursued his Ph.D. in Communication at UoH (2017–2022) under the supervision of Prof. Vasuki Belavadi, during which he also worked as a Research Assistant with the UNESCO Chair on Community Media (2019–2022). Prior to joining IIM Kashipur, he taught at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed to be University.

In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Jena currently serves as the Co-Vice Chair of the Participatory Communication Research section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), furthering international dialogue on participatory communication.

Research at King’s College London

As part of the fellowship, Dr. Jena will join King’s College London in April 2026, where he will work under the mentorship of Dr. Munira Cheema. His project will explore community media, participatory communication, and the evolving intersections of media, democracy, and civic engagement.

A Continuing Tradition of Excellence

Remarkably, the 2024 recipient of this fellowship, Dr. Nivea Thomas, was also from the University of Hyderabad, underscoring UoH’s strong tradition of scholarship, academic excellence, and global engagement.

Gratitude and Acknowledgement

Expressing his gratitude, Dr. Jena acknowledged the mentorship of faculty in the Department of Communication and the support of the UNESCO Chair on Community Media team for their guidance throughout his academic journey.

The University of Hyderabad congratulates Dr. Jena on this achievement and wishes him continued success in his scholarly pursuits on the international stage.