DIVERSE EXPERTISE

DRIVING REAL CHANGE

With backgrounds in academia, government, military, industry research, and beyond, CSDR’s experts share a common passion for promoting evidence-based policy, ensuring that our research is both rigorous and relevant. This dynamic blend of expertise allows us to bridge the gap between theory and practice, offering innovative solutions to our partners’ specific requirements.  

Experts

Dr. Happymon Jacob

Founder & Director
Happymon Jacob is the founder and director of CSDR. He directs CSDR’s research and activities across divisions.

Lt Gen D S Hooda (Retd)

Co-Founder
D S Hooda co-founded CSDR and directs projects of its defense and security verticals.

Dr. Gaurav Saini

Co-Founder
Gaurav Saini is co-founder of CSDR and leads product design and partnerships.

Prof. Sumit Ganguly 

Distinguished Fellow
Prof. Sumit Ganguly is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Huntington Program on Strengthening the US-India Relationship at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations Emeritus and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Dr. Iqbal Singh Sevea

Distinguished Fellow
Dr. Sevea is an Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). An internationally recognized scholar of contemporary and modern South Asia, his research focuses on South Asian politics and social and political thought.

Ajay Bisaria

Advisor
Ajay Bisaria is a distinguished diplomat, strategic consultant, and commentator on international affairs. With a career spanning 35 years in the Indian Foreign Service, he has played pivotal roles in shaping India’s key economic and security relationships.

Dr. Tishya Khillare

Fellow
Dr. Tishya Khillare is a Fellow at CSDR. She leads CSDR’s work on Non-traditional Security issues in South Asia and the Indo Pacific, specifically on Climate Diplomacy, South-South and Triangular Cooperation, Feminist Foreign Policy, and Gender and Security.

Atul Chandra

Non-Resident Fellow
Atul is a Non-Resident Fellow at CSDR and supports our work on Aerospace and Defense industry.

Dr. Debak Das

Non-Resident Fellow
Debak is a Non-Resident Fellow at CSDR and supports our work on Nuclear security and international security.

Nihal Krishan

Fellow
Nihal Krishan is an award-winning journalist and scholar who focuses on the nexus of tech and politics and is a Fellow at CSDR.

Dr. Jabin Jacob

Non-Resident Senior Fellow
Dr. Jacob, an Associate Professor Associate Professor at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at CSDR.

Garima Shrivastava

Non-Resident Fellow
Garima is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Uppsala University’s Centre for Gender Research and is an expert on gender and development.

VAdm Anil K Chawla (Retd)

Distinguished Fellow
VAdm Anil K Chawla is the former Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command and a Distinguished Fellow at CSDR.

Col. Shashank Ranjan (Retd.)

Non-Resident Fellow
Col. Ranjan is a Non-Resident fellow at CSDR and supports our work on the Indian Defense Industry, Internal Security, and Counterterrorism.

Dinakar Peri

Non-Resident Fellow
Dinakar is a Non-Resident Fellow at CSDR and Senior Assistant Editor at the Hindu covering defense and security issues.

Lt Gen Sanjay Verma (Retd)

Distinguished Fellow
Lt Gen Sanjay Verma (retd) is a Distinguished Fellow at CSDR where he directs CSDR’s work on Indian Defense Industry.

Capt Sarabjeet S Parmar (Retd)

Distinguished Fellow
Capt Parmar is a Distinguished Fellow at CSDR and supports CSDR’s work on Indo-Pacific, Maritime Security and the Indian Ocean Region.

Anita Prakash

Distinguished Fellow
Anita Prakash is a Distinguished Fellow at CSDR and informs our work on Geoeconomics.

Shiv Sahai

Distinguished Fellow
Shiv Sahai is a Distinguished Fellow at CSDR

Dr. Sidharth Raimedhi

Fellow
Sidharth Raimedhi is a Fellow at CSDR. He is the editor-in-chief, and contributor, to the DIPTEL newsletter which covers contemporary Indian foreign policy developments on a weekly basis.

Dr. Ritesh Kumar

Fellow
Ritesh Kumar is a Fellow at CSDR and leads on CSDR’s program on AI and Linguistics.

Rakesh Sood

Distinguished Fellow
Rakesh Sood is a Distinguished Fellow at CSDR and directs the work of CSDR’s Space Technologies and Policy Program.

Riva Ganguly Das

Distinguished Fellow
Riva Ganguly Das is a Distinguished Fellow at CSDR and supports CSDR’s work on the Indo-Pacific and South Asia.

C Raja Mohan

Advisor
C Raja Mohan is an Advisor at CSDR and provides direction to CSDR’s Geopolitics and International Security Program

USING GLOBAL INSIGHTS, MAKING LOCAL IMPACT

CSDR’S experts bring a wealth of practical experience, cutting-edge academic insights, international exposure, and firsthand knowledge of policy implementation that allows us to navigate the intricacies of a rapidly changing world. We leverage this collective expertise to identify emerging challenges and craft innovative, practical solutions that shape the future of policy and practice.