Past Interns

Arnav Joshi has completed his second year at Shiv Nadar University where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in International Relations and Governance studies. His research interests include the Evolution of War Strategies, China's involvement in Africa (specifically Nigeria). He also likes analysing a particular topic or issue from the perspective of different International Relations theories, namely, liberalism, constructivism and realism. Apart from academics, he is a state level football player and has also played table tennis and Badminton at college levels. 

Taal Seth is a final year IR student at Shiv Nadar University and is interested in security studies and foreign policy analysis. She is also interested in feminist and other critical analyses of policy and current affairs.

Anushka Saxena is working as a Research Intern with the Institute of Chinese Studies. She has completed her first Masters degree in International Relations from the O.P Jindal Global University, and is an incoming student for the Masters in Global Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. She pursued her Bachelors in History from the Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. Her research interests include China-Taiwan Cross-Strait Relations, Chinese domestic and foreign policies, Asia-Pacific and maritime geopolitics. She has previously worked with various Indian, Nepalese and Australian think tanks in a research capacity, and has also spearheaded diverse youth-led research and editorial projects.

Akshat Mayne is a Research Assistant at the Institute of Chinese Studies, and a doctoral scholar in Japanese Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi He holds a Master's degree in East Asian Studies, with a specialisation in Japanese Studies, from the University of Delhi. His research looks at Japan's place in the broader East Asian international order. His research interests include Japanese domestic politics, security and foreign policy in the post war era, and the emerging dynamics between various players in the region, especially Japan and Taiwan. Beyond this, he is also interested in the historical interactions, and political and cultural exchanges between Japan and other East Asian states.

Arfina Ara Hussain was a Virtual Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. She is currently pursuing her M.Phil from the Department of Political Science, Dibrugarh University, Assam. As a part of her dissertation, she is working on Indo-China strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. Her research interests include Indian Foreign Policy, Indo-China Relationship, Indo-Pacific and Maritime Geopolitics.

Cherry Hitkari is a Non-resident Vasey Fellow at the Pacific Forum, USA; and, NASC Fellow, Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru. She is a Postgraduate student of Chinese language at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, India. She holds a Bachelor’s (Hons.) in History from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi and a Masters in East Asian Studies with specialization in Chinese Studies from the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi. She is an Advisory Board Member, ‘Tomorrow’s People’ at Modern Diplomacy, Greece; the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of an online student-led gender research journal called ‘Parwaaz’ and the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of a student-led initiative called East Asian Dialogue. Her work has been published and featured in several Indian and International publications including Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Indian Defence Review, the Lowy Institute among others. She speaks Hindi, English, French and Chinese.

Yamini Meena was a Research Intern at ICS. She has completed her masters in East. Asian Studies from the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi. She has pursued her Bachelor in History Honours from Maitreyi College, University of Delhi. Her research interests include gender and religious discourse, popular culture, and the language and literature of Japan. Previously, she worked as a Gallery Coordinator and Research Intern at the National Museum, New Delhi. She is also associated with the Association of Asia Scholars.

Rohil Vaidya was a Research Intern at ICS. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations (with Distinction) from the University of Warwick, where he won the PAIS MA scholarship. His graduate dissertation studied ontological security and strategic narratives in contemporary Indian foreign policy. His research interests include understanding Indian foreign policy and Sino-Indian relations from a critical security studies perspective. Holding a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Shiv Nadar University, he is also interested in questions about science diplomacy and the politics of science in global politics.

Prateek Gupta is enrolled in the Integrated Programme in Management at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore. This five-year academic program awards him a BA in Foundations of Management after the third year and an MBA upon completing the fifth year. Prateek’s primary research interests are centred on the Chinese economy, its foreign policy towards its neighbouring countries, and the geopolitical and trade relations between India and China. At present, Prateek is engaged in a research project that seeks to evaluate whether the Chinese Renminbi has the potential to replace the US Dollar as the dominant reserve currency in the Southeast Asia.

Arnab Ghosh is in his second year of Integrated Programme in Management at Indian Institute of Management, Indore. His research interests are China's demographics and economy. He likes statistics and quantitative analysis and is an avid reader in his free time.

Abhigyan Das is a 2nd year undergraduate student at Indian Institute of Management, Indore – pursuing an integrated M.B.A course. He is simultaneously pursuing a B.S. course in data science and programming from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He has completed courses in micro and macroeconomics, development theory, statistical methods and economic statistics. He has previously written a research term paper titled “Impact of Pay on Perceived Productivity” under the guidance of Dr. Ajit Phadnis as well as one exploring the history and implementation of “Uniform Civil Code in India” at Indian Institute of Management, Indore.

Chitra Nair is a Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies. She is currently in her second year of an undergraduate program at FLAME University, Pune. She is majoring in International Relations and minoring in Environmental Studies. She has completed courses like International Organisations, International Relations Theory, Political Geography, Indian Government and Politics, Environmental Law and Governance, etc. Her research interests lie in gender studies, particularly examining the dynamics of gender and sexuality in China and other East Asian nations.

Radhika Goyal is a Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies. She is currently pursuing her Masters in International Studies from Christ University, Bangalore. She graduated from Shama Prasad Mukherjee University of Delhi, in Political Science Honors. Her research interest are centred around China’s foreign policy, Environment regulation and growing Chinese economy. Driven by her fascination with cross-cultural exchanges and diplomatic negotiations, Radhika has developed a particular interest in China's international interactions and its evolving relationships with key global actors.

Manvi Veerwal is currently a Research Intern at ICS, New Delhi. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science honors from Kalindi College, University Of Delhi. She is currently pursuing her Masters in International Studies from Christ University, Bangalore. Her research interests include the security strategies, China's relations with South Asian countries , and its foreign policy towards them.

Ananya Bhagwat was a Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies. She has recently completed the second year of her B.A. degree at Ashoka University, Sonepat. She is majoring in Political Science with a double minor in International Relations and China Studies. She is interested in pursuing research relating to IR in East Asia and languages such as Mandarin and Japanese. 

Aishwarya Acharya was a Research Intern at ICS. She has completed her Bachelor's in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Gujarat Technological University and Master's in International Relations and Area Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has previously worked as a Research Intern at Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS). She has written articles for CAPS, Lowy Institute, Financial Express etc. Her interests lie in the political economy of science and technology, tech-geopolitics and non-traditional security threats as functional areas, and China and the Indo-Pacific as geographical areas. 

Varsha Mishra was a Research Intern at ICS. She has a deep passion for Japanese language and culture. She holds a Master's degree in East Asian Studies with a University gold medal from Delhi University. During her studies, she discovered her keen interest in Japanese linguistics and interlanguage communication nuances. 

Fueled by her enthusiasm, she pursued an Advanced Diploma in the Japanese Language from Delhi University, immersing herself in the intricacies of the language. Varsha aspires to carve her path in the field of Japanese linguistics, exploring the dynamics of inter-language communication and cultural connections between India and Japan. Her interest also lies in the Japanese society.

Parthu Venkatesh P was a Research Intern at Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. He is pursuing Post Graduate Diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution at Indian Law Institute, New Delhi. He is also pursuing an online certificate course in Chinese Culture and Contemporary China from Nanjing University. He has completed his Post Graduate Diploma in International Law and Diplomacy at Indian Society of International Law, New Delhi and has an undergraduate degree in B.COM Programme from University of Delhi, New Delhi. His areas of interests are Chinese foreign policy, Territorial disputes in South China Sea and International Arbitration with respect to the Commercial and Civil Disputes.