IIMB doctoral scholar Indu Poornima awarded Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Fellowship 2026-27
Fellowship to support continuation of dissertation research at Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia, Brown University
22 June, 2026, Bengaluru: Indu Poornima, a fifth-year doctoral programme student in the Public Policy area at IIM Bangalore, has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Fellowship 2026-27. The fellowship will enable her to continue her dissertation research at the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia, Brown University, during the award period.
Indu's work focuses on the social transformations brought about by large infrastructure projects among communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods. Her research centers on Vizhinjam, a coastal community in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district, where India's first deep-water transshipment port is currently being developed through a public-private partnership.
Using ethnographic methods, she studies how the local fishing community has experienced and adapted to changing livelihood conditions in the wake of the port's development. Her research also explores how community members engage with and negotiate the interests of state institutions and private actors as they navigate these transitions.
At IIMB, Indu is supervised by Prof. Arpit Shah of the Public Policy area. Her doctoral committee includes Prof. Deepak Malghan from the Public Policy area and Prof. Shailendra Kumar from the Strategy area.
The Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Fellowship is among the most competitive international fellowships available to Indian doctoral researchers and supports scholars undertaking high-quality research with the potential to contribute meaningfully to their fields of study.
