eSpeakers
Anne Dietterich, MPA Class of 2021
Ms Dietterich is currently a student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government focusing on education, migration, and child protection. She is engaged with the Foundation and is working on impact assessment of a virtual classroom program for high school students in India and Nepal. Ms Dietterich received her BA in Political Science, Russian, and French from Duke University and is a MPA Candidate at Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Aarti Ahuja, MA, Founder of Tatva
Ms Ahuja is the Founder of Tatva – The Lifestyle Studio. She is passionate about wellness in the community through the promotion of psychology and arts. She received her BA (Honours) in Applied Psychology and MA in Applied Psychology from the Amity Institute of Psychological Sciences.
Archana Kumari, LLB, Founder and Honorary Member of Saakar Welfare Foundation
Ms Kumari is passionate about promoting sustainable solutions for the socioeconomic empowerment of Indians to enable them to realize their full potential. She is a development sector professional with over 2 decades of work experience with local and international NGOs in India. She received her BA (Honours) in Home Science from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Postgraduate Diploma of Management in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Venture Development in NGO Management from Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad, Masters in Cooperatives Management from Annamalai University (Distance Learning) and LLB from Magadh University, Gaya, Bihar.
Arshita Singh, MA
Ms Singh has worked as a Freelance content developer, editor, and Journalist for over five years for media houses such as The New Indian Express, My City Links, and Hyderabad Paws Magazine, and Woven Words Publishers. Bharat Nirman’s recognized Arshita’s contributions to the world of literature by awarding her the ‘Youngest Literary Award’ for being one of the youngest editors in the country. Ms Singh received her graduate degree in Women’s Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Ravenshaw University.
Alok Agrawal, MD, Nephrologist, Clinical Associate Professor, Wright State University and Founder, Global Pragathi
Dr Agarwal is an acclaimed and experienced Nephrologist. He is the Founder of Global Pragathi, an NGO working to achieve sustainable development by providing quality education and preventive health care. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor with Wright State University, Ohio. He received his MD from Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad, India.
Arantza Muriana, MPharma, MBA, CEO at Biobide
Ms Muriana is a CEO and Co-Founder of Biobide. She has over 15 years of experience in the Biotech and Pharma industry, in pre-clinical and clinical areas. Her professional skillset includes Pharmaceutics, Business Planning, Quality Management, Oncology and Toxicology. She received her BPharm and MPharm from the University of Navarra, Spain, and MBA from San Pablo CEU University, Spain.
Professor Aravinda Sistla, PhD, Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
Professor Sistla has been a guiding force of change at the University of Illinois, Chicago for over 25 years. He teaches and lives with the belief that a group of bright and motivated individuals can bring meaningful change in a challenging environment. Professor Sistla received his PhD from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and ME in Computer Science from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Arpit Pandya, MPharma, Quality Assurance at Sun Pharmaceutical Medicare Ltd.
Mr Pandya is a Quality Assurance Executive at Sun Pharmaceutical Medicare, Baska, Halol, Gujrat. He has been with the organisation for over 6 years. He received his BPharm from K.L.E.’s College of Pharmacy, Hubli and MPharm from Srinivas College Of Pharmacy, Mangalore, both of which are under Rajiv Gandhi University Of Health Sciences in Bangalore, India.
Apurva Kushare, MS Regulatory Associate at RegDesk
Ms Kushare possesses expert knowledge surrounding the regulations of drug, biologic and medical devices commercialization in the global marketplace. She completed her Master of Science in Regulatory Affairs from Northeastern University and an internship with Biomedical Consulting International.
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Apoorva Sarode, PhD
Dr Sarode is an Associate Scientist at Genentech, South San Francisco, California. She has a strong interdisciplinary background in chemical engineering and bioengineering. She has over 5 years of drug delivery research experience in particle-based formulations, platelet biology and bioconjugation. Dr Sarode received her BE in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India, and PhD in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University.
Alisha Pathak, MS, Researcher & Mountaineer
Ms Pathak earned her master’s in interdisciplinary sciences (IISER Pune, India), with majors in physics and biology and worked on enriched environments, patterns in science discoveries, building microscope prototypes and science media.
Aruna Wadkar, PhD, founder and Managing Director of Harvest Educational Transformation Solutions.
An Educationist with over three decades of experience, Dr. Wadkar is the Founder and Managing Director of Harvest Educational Transformation Solutions (HETS). This evolving organization consistently assesses education systems to raise the interface of Education and Technology. Dr Wadkar specializes in Research and Training development. Anuradha was conferred an honorary doctorate in Education Management from National Virtual University for Peace, Bengaluru, India.
Deepali Khanna, MSW, Managing Director at the Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Region Office
Ms Khanna is the Managing Director of Asia Region and manages the Rockefeller Foundation’s policy, advocacy, grant-making, and partnerships in Asia. She most recently served as Director and managed one of the Foundation’s flagship initiatives in India i.e. Smart Power for Rural Development (SPRD). Ms Khanna received master’s in social work from Delhi University.
Dhruv Shah, MD Class of 2024, MD Candidate at the University of Maryland School of Medicine
Mr Shah is passionate about working on community health projects, creative writing, and promoting the education of minority groups and underserved children in India. He is a Fulbright Scholar and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s (Honours) degree in Molecular Biology and English.
Devina Verma, PhD, Regulatory specialist – Fermish Clinical Service Private Limited
Dr Verma is a Regulatory Specialist at Fermish Clinical Service, Noida where she is a major contributor to Regulatory Writing and dossier preparation for European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) submissions. She received her BPharm, MPharm and PhD in Pharmaceutics from Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi, India.
Debashish K. Dey, MD, PhD, MPH, MSc, VP & Head, Pharmacovigilance, Acceleron Pharma, Cambridge, USA
Dr. Dey has authored and co-authored over 50 publications including peer-reviewed manuscripts, review articles, and abstracts in scientific journals and contributed chapters in edited medical books. He is currently the VP & Head of Pharmacovigilance at Acceleron Pharma, Cambridge, USA. Debashish obtained his medical degree (MBBS) from Dhaka Medical College, Bangladesh, a PhD from the Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Goteborg University, Sweden, and an MPH from Umea International School of Public Health, Umea University, Sweden.
Dhairya Gangwani, BTech, Public Speaker & Podcaster, SAP Analyst at KPMG, India
Ms. Gangwani is an electronics and communication engineer at KPMG. Dhairya received BTech from Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamilnadu, India.
Bhawna Sharma, PhD, Formerly, Director, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, India office, New Delhi
Dr Sharma is a pharmacologist with over two decades of experience in clinical research, drug development, regulatory affairs, project management and organization development. Dr Sharma received her BSc in Human Biology, MSc in Pharmacology and PhD in Pharmacology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Bibhuti Aryal, MBA, Co-Founder of Rukmini Foundation
A firm advocate for equality in education, Mr Aryal has been actively involved in promoting quality education for all especially in his country of Nepal. He is the Co-Founder of Rukmini Foundation, an organization that empowers girls through a holistic program of education, mentoring, health, and wellness. Mr Aryal received his BS in Information Sciences from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He has been a leader in Information Technology where his roles ranged from Software Development to Project/Program Management.
Bindu Bennet, PhD, Toxicologic Pathologist & Head of Non-Clinical Safety Assessment at Clinical Phase Biopharma, Massachusetts, United States
Dr. Bennet is a veterinary doctor and has in-depth knowledge of nonclinical drug development and strategic planning. She is a board certified toxicologic pathologist and an established biopharmaceutical scientist. Dr. Bennet received her PhD in Immunology from The Ohio State University.
Geetha Krishnan, MSc, Corporate Trainer, Gratitude Leadership Coach, Chicago, USA
Ms Krishnan is a leader and trainer with over 14 years of experience specializing in enhancement of communication skills, appreciation training and team building. She is also a corporate trainer, gratitude leadership coach, and an international best-selling author. She received her BCom from University of Mumbai and MSc (Psychology) from University of Madras.
Grace N Smith, BS Class of 2023
Ms Smith is currently engaged with Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an Undergraduate Researcher in MIT Quest for Intelligence. She is pursuing her BS in Mathematics and Computer Science, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kamran Alam, MBA, Chief Financial Officer at Taysha Gene Therapies
Mr Alam is a Certified Public Accountant skilled in Forecasting, Financial Modelling and Financial Analysis. He is currently working as Chief Financial Officer at Taysha Gene Therapies, New York City Metropolitan Area. He received his BBA from University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business and MBA in Finance from Indiana University – Kelley School of Business.
Krupa Parekh, MPharm
Ms Parekh is a Quality Assurance Officer with a keen eye for detail when it comes to developing, managing, and performing quality assurance activities. She specializes in evaluating the quality of manufactured products and the processes with which such products are created. She received her BPharm and MPharm from Maliba Pharmacy College, Gujrat, India.
Kunsang Topden, MSc, Lecturer at Lamdon Model Senior Secondary School
Mr Topden has been teaching general science to secondary school and biology to the higher secondary school at different private schools in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh for the last 15 years. Currently, he is working as a lecturer in Biology at the Lamdon Model Senior Secondary School in Leh, Union territory of India. He received his BSc in Biology and MSc in Zoology from the University of Mysore, Karnataka.
Nimita Limaye, PhD, SVP, Strategic Partnerships & Medical Writing at CSOFT Health Sciences, Waltham, Massachusetts
Dr Limaye is an executive leader with over 20 years of life sciences experience working across the Clinical Research Organizations and pharmaceutical and biotechnology consulting. She has provided strategic governance for large global life sciences operations and successfully delivered on a portfolio of projects across large and small global US and EU biopharmaceutical industry. Dr Limaye received her PhD in Biotechnology from Savitribai Phule Pune University.
Neetu Rishi, MBA, CEO & Founder at The Success Door
Ms Rishi leads “The Success Door,” an organisation that works to remodel lives by customized training and workshops on people skills, personality development and personal development. In addition, she is Consulting Director, Youth Education at Dale Carnegie, North Texas. Ms Rishi received her BSc from Kurukshetra University and an MBA in HR and Marketing from Sikkim Manipal University, India.
Indrayud Biswas Mandal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MS Class of 2021
Mr Mandal is Program Assistant at MIT System Design and Management. Prior to joining MIT, he worked as Business Technology Analyst and Software Development Consultant at Deloitte within US State Healthcare projects. He received his BE in Computer Science from Manipal Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing his MS in Engineering and Management, Systems Design and Management at MIT Sloan School of Management.
Janardhan Rao, PhD, President, Woodbury Biologics Consulting, LLC., Greater New York City Area, USA
Dr Rao has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical sector. He is Principal Consultant and President of Woodbury Biologics Consulting where he drives technical issue resolutions related to method development of Pharmaceuticals, Biologics, and Biosimilars. Dr Rao received his PhD in Chemistry from the Osmania University, Hyderabad, India.
Jalaja Potluri, MD, Hematologist /Oncologist, Senior Medical Director, AbbVie, Chicago, USA
Dr Potluri is a board-certified Hematologist/Oncologist in the pharmaceutical industry with over 20 years of clinical experience. She is dedicated to improving the quality of life of cancer patients through the development of new medicines. Dr. Potluri received her MBBS from Dr. N.T.R. University of Health Sciences (Acharya Nagarjuna University) in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India and did her Residency in Internal Medicine from Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston (Greater Chicago). She completed her Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She has over 40 publications (manuscripts and Conference Abstracts) in peer-reviewed journals including New England Journal of Medicine.
Liz Goldenberg, PhD
Professor Goldenberg has been an Adjunct Professor of Management at New York University and a Research Associate in the Negotiation, Organizations & Markets unit at Harvard Business School. She is also a Managing Director at The Adaptology Institute, an organization dedicated to educating people on the principles and practice of Adaptive Intelligence. Dr Goldenberg received her PhD from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia
Jignesh Talasila, BTech, Co-founder and CEO at Loop Reality
A pioneer in the Indian Virtual Reality scene, Mr Talasila has been advising innovation teams of multinational corporations and Government Organizations on finding ways for technology adoption. He prides himself in having mastered the art of creating immersive assessments through contextual simulations & non-contextual games in VR. He received his BTech from Gandhi Institute of Technology & Management (GITAM) University, Visakhapatnam.
Mamta Behl, PhD
Dr Behl is a neurotoxicologist who is leading a team to identify, develop, and apply the latest tools in vitro, in vivo, in silico and exposure assessment approaches to rapidly identify compounds with potential to cause developmental neurotoxicity. She received her BPharm from University of Mumbai and MS in Neuropsychology/ neuropharmacology and PhD in Neurotoxicology from Purdue University.
Mrunal Mahadik, MPH, Epidemiologist, City program manager at National Urban Health Mission, Maharashtra
Dr Mahadik is a passionate medical health professional and social worker dedicated to the upliftment of society with organisation work experience in enhancing the medical health of women and children. She received her Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from D.Y. Patil College of Ayurveda and research Institute, Navi Mumbai, PGDEMS from Life supporters Institute of Health Sciences, Mumbai and MPH in Social Epidemiology from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Madhavi Gidh- Jain, PhD, Head, Medical Writing and Site Coordinator for Clinical Documentation (US) at Sanofi, New York, USA
Mr Mandal is Program Assistant at MIT System Design and Management. Prior to joining MIT, he worked as Business Technology Analyst and Software Development Consultant at Deloitte within US State Healthcare projects. He received his BE in Computer Science from Manipal Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing his MS in Engineering and Management, Systems Design and Management at MIT Sloan School of Management.
Meghna Thakkar. PhD, Associate E-faculty – Consultant Life Science & Healthcare at Universal Consulting India Pvt. Ltd
Dr. Thakkar is a Biologist and Healthcare Consultant. She has been drug discovery professional in pharmaceutical, biotech, med-tech, and drug discovery companies. She received her Master of Science (Biology) from Georgia State University, Atlanta, and a PhD from Freie Universität, Germany. She conducted translational cardiovascular and neuromuscular research at Max Delbruck Centre for Molecular Medicine.
Meghana Mettu, BA
Ms Mettu is received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at North Carolina State University in the United States. A Pre-Med student at George Washington University, Washington D.C., she is passionate about supporting high-quality education for all.
Mahesh Viswanathan, PhD
Professor Viswanathan is at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned his PhD in Computer and Information Sciences from the University of Pennsylvania and BTech from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
Neha Gupta, MA, Founder, Alchemy, India
Ms Gupta is an Organization Development Alchemist with over 15 years of experience. She employs a mix of experiential and concept-based learning to progressively empower and transform an individual, group or organization from within to achieve their unreachable goals outside. She received her MBA in Marketing and HR from Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Nitya Garg, BS Class of 2021
Ms Garg is a senior at Indiana University, Bloomington, pursuing a double major in Policy Analysis and Public Financial Management from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Health. She is eager to apply her knowledge of public policy and economics to business decisions and enjoys working on analysing effect of public policies on the people and their businesses.
Parth Bhatnagar, BS (Class of 2023)
Parth is an undergraduate student at University of California at Los Angeles. During his time at Glenbrook North High School, he taught students struggling with Math and English. Parth has been a Research Volunteer at Loyola University in Chicago. Parth gave a series of lectures at RamaKrishna Mission High School, Sitanagaram (Near Vijayawada), Andhra Pradesh on a travel grant from Ek Kadam Aur Foundation.
Prteek Agarwal, BTech
Mr Agrawal is a software engineer and a successful entrepreneur. He has achieved several feats in his personal life by overcoming hardships faced due to his blindness to succeed. As the founder of Daedal Technovations, he provides solutions to clients in over 50 countries. He received his BTech from MN Institute of Technology, Jaipur.
Prathibha Nadig, MD, Professor and Former Head, Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences, Bengaluru
Dr Nadig is a Research and Development-Head, Pharmacology, at Natural Remedies, an organisation involved in preclinical and clinical studies of herbal drugs for allergic rhinitis, diabetes, and anxiety. Her specialities include research in the field of diabetes. She received her MBBS and MD from Karnataka Institute of Medical Science.
Priyanka Parihar, BDS, MBA,Formerly, Associate Director, Ek Kadam Aur Foundation for Education and Health
Dr Parihar was the Associate Director of Ek Kadam Aur Foundation during 2018-2019. She received her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from University of Jammu and an MBA in Hospital and Healthcare Management from Symbiosis International University, Pune, India.
Preeti Smita Sharma, MSc, Lecturer Biology, Delhi Public School, New Delhi, India
Ms Sharma has taught in Higher Secondary Schools in Delhi and Bangalore as Post Graduate Teacher (Biology), and Trained Graduate Teacher (Physics and Biology) for 25 years. She received her MSc in Botany from Jiwaji University, Gwalior and was awarded a Fellowship by the University Grants Commission, Government of India.
Pooja Joshi, BSc
A mathematics enthusiast, Ms Joshi is a passionate contributor in the education sector and hopes to encourage young students in making the right career choice. She received her BSc in Mathematics from St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Ahmedabad Gujarat University.
Pooja Tripathi, BS
Ms Tripathi is an Indian American filmmaker, actress, and musician. She studied Business Administration and Violin Performance at Carnegie Mellon University. She is serving as an Executive Producer at the female-based production company “Fountain Avenue Productions” and is a Co-writer, producer, and actor in a serial “Amsterdam Avenue.
Ritu Sharma, PhD, Senior Manager, Global Regulatory Affairs, Novartis Gene Therapies
Dr Sharma works on gene therapy for diseases of the Central Nervous System. She received her PhD in Molecular Biology from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and did postdoctoral research at Weill Cornell Medicine (Cornell University) in New York City. Dr Sharma has published several articles in internationally acclaimed journals.
Robert Koirala, BS Class of 2023, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A mathematics enthusiast, Ms Joshi is a passionate contributor in the education sector and hopes to encourage young students in making the right career choice. She received her BSc in Mathematics from St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Ahmedabad Gujarat University.
Shilpa Ajwani, BA, CEO at Unomantra
Ms Ajwani is an influential leader with over twenty years of experience, recognised for providing transformative leadership to top Multinational Corporations. She is passionate about working with entrepreneurs and innovative business models that have the potential to address the biggest issues confronting the world today. She received her BA in Economics from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi and advanced training in International Marketing and Business from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. She participated in the Strategic Leadership Program of the Ashridge Business School in the United Kingdom.
Samatha Balachandran, MA, Research Lead at UN ACCELERATOR (YUVAA)
Ms Balachandran is an avid researcher and writer and has specialised in cultural communication while pursuing her Master’s in Communication from the University of Mumbai. She is a self-proclaimed digital media junkie and a bibliophile
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Shaka Martin, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Biotechnology Company in Greater Boston Area, USA
Dr Martin has been an active advocate of drug safety during his over a dozen years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He has held leadership roles at Seqirus, EMD Serono, and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals. He received his MD and MSc in General Medicine from Palacký University and MPH in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University, New York.
Shayak Mazumdar, MBA, CEO at Eunimart
Mr Mazumdar is the CEO at Eunimart – a complete end to end omnichannel eCommerce, retail, and supply chain management platform. He has also served as an officer in the Indian Navy and retired as a Lieutenant Commander. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Naval Science and Operational Studies from Goa University, Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resources Management/Personnel from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management and MBA from INSEAD, France.
Somesh Mohapatra, PhD (Student), Co-founder at MatSci AI
Mr Mohapatra is a researcher with an entrepreneurial mindset. He is applying his knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Materials Science (as PhD student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Materials Manufacturing (as Co-Founder at MatSci AI). He earned his BTech from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.
Shirin Hasan, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Medicine
Dr Hasan is working on the Oncogenesis and Developmental Biology Program at the Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology). She received her BSc, MSc, and PhD from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
Shriya Agarwal, MSc, Communications Consultant and Plant-Based Nutritionist
A skilled professional with a passion for promoting sustainable development, Ms. Agarwal has been working with nonprofits and semi-government organizations and media platforms. She is a plant-based Holistic Health Coach and Educator. She has completed her BSc in Home Science from Lady Irwin College, Delhi University, India.
Srishti Lokwani, MSc, Biology Teacher at Seedling Group of Schools
Ms. Lokwani is skilled in Science and English Education and specializes in Classroom Management. She is an experienced educator with a history of working in the classroom as well as e-learning platforms. She received BSc from International College of Girls (ICG) Institute of Education Research & Development, Jaipur and MSc in Microbiology from University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India.
Saumya Tewari, PhD, Policy Analyst, Assistant Professor (Political Science) at JP Law College, Maharashtra.
Dr. Tewari is an honorary Associate Fellow at the Centre for Multilevel Federalism Social Sciences, New Delhi. She has taught at Kumaun University in Nainital and atKES’ JH Patel Law College of Mumbai University. Dr. Tewari received her BA and MA degrees from University of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh and PhD in Development Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Sheo B. Singh, PhD, President, Principal, SBS Pharma Consulting, LLC, Greater New York, USA
Dr Singh has been a revolutionary member of the drug development field where he has discovered over 350 new biologically active natural products representing wide therapeutic areas including anticancer, cardiovascular, hypertension, anti-diabetics, antiviral and antibacterial agents. Dr Singh received his PhD in Natural Products Chemistry at Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants/Avadh University in India and did postdoctoral research at University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
Swochchhanda Shrestha, BS Class of 2021, Mechanical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mr Shrestha is currently pursuing BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Shalini Rao, MSc
Ms Rao is currently working as a Manager (Microbiology) at Henkel Corporate Scientific Services – an organisation responsible for scientific support for three Business Units – Adhesives, Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care. Ms Rao obtained her MSc in Biotechnology from Bangalore University, India, and MS in molecular biology from The Ohio State University.
Umesh Varshney, PhD, Chairman, Division of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Professor Varshney directs his research team at the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology and is the Chairman of the Division of Biological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science. He is currently leading research activities focused in molecular biology of eubacteria. He is also a recipient of the Government of India’s highest honour in Science, the “Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award”. Dr Varshney received his BSc from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, India, MSc in Microbiology from the G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India, and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. He did postdoctoral research fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Upasana Dhanda, PhD
Ms Dhanda is an assistant professor at Delhi University and is working toward her PhD research project at Delhi School of Economics. Her areas of research interest are employee engagement, employee well-being, and organizational sustainability. She received her B.Com, M.Com and MPhil from Delhi University, New Delhi. Ms Dhanda is a recipient of Professor Samiuddin Memorial Research Scholars’ Award of Indian Commerce Association. Ms Dhanda has been greatly admired for her two-week entrepreneurship bootcamp for high school students in India and Nepal under Ek Kadam Aur Foundation’s High School Leadership Program.
Vivek Neekhra, MS, Preventive Healthcare services
Mr Neekhra is passionate about supporting good health and enabling people to live healthier lives by preventing ailments. His Yoga classes are created with a focus on mind, sleep, food, science, and meditation. Mr Neekhra received his BPharm in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Rajiv Gandhi Prodyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (University of Technology, Madhya Pradesh) and MS in Pharmacoinformatics from National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research.
Vidisha Baliyan, MA (Yoga), Miss Deaf World (2019 Winner) and International Tennis Player
Ms. Baliyan is a motivational speaker and the first Indian woman to be crowned Miss Deaf World in 2019. She received the National Disability Award presented by the President of India. Vidisha is an international tennis player and has represented India in the Deaflympics. She is an active speaker and has appeared in TedX, Josh Talks and All India Radio to encourage specially-abled individuals. She has received a bachelor degree in physical education and a masters degree in Yoga from Jain Vishva Bharati Institute, Rajasthan, India.
Yedhu Krishna Menon, BTech, Cyber Security expert
Mr Menon is a Cyber Security and Data Privacy/Protection professional currently leading the concept of IT Third Party Risk Management at MetLife globally. Mr. Menon has worked over 10 years with KPMG, FIS, Ameriprise and HCL. He received his BTech in Electronics & Communication Engineering, Cryptography and Information Security from Kurukshetra University and Postgraduate Diploma in Criminology and Forensic Science from Annamalai University.
Yogendra Narain, PhD, Chancellor of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University
A 1965 batch retired Indian Administrative Service officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Dr Narain is a former Secretary-General of Rajya Sabha and Secretary of Defence in Government of India. He also served in key positions such as Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh (UP) State and Secretary to the Governor of UP. He is the current Chancellor of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (HNBGU) in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand State. He received his PhD from Punjab University, Chandigarh, India.