Follow @csdr_india

Amba Wattal

Program Associate

Amba Wattal is a Program Associate (Indo-Pacific) at CSDR. She is currently working on the Indo-Pacific Circle, a regionally owned and operated platform for indigenous knowledge production and exchange for the Indo-Pacific.

Amba Wattal works as a Program Associate for Indo-Pacific affairs at CSDR. Her current focus is on the Indo-Pacific Circle, a platform developed by the region to produce and exchange indigenous knowledge. Amba holds a Master’s degree in International Studies from Symbiosis International University in Pune, a Master’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University, and a PG Diploma in Human Rights. At CSDR, she manages the Indo-Pacific Circle (IPC), a dynamic platform committed to shaping emergent narratives from the Indo-Pacific. Her work involves a diverse range of activities that aim to amplify voices from the region. Her research revolves around China’s strategic ambitions in India’s immediate neighborhood and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Areas of
Expertise

Indias Neighborhood Policy Indian Strategic Culture Politics and Regionalism in South Asia

FOUNDERS

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)

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

Dr. Gaurav Saini

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

Team

Sukanya Sharma

Research Intern

Sukanya has a Master’s in International History from The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. She has interned at the Nobel-Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Afridi Ahmed

Research Intern

Afridi is a research intern at CSDR.

Araudra Singh

Research Intern

Araudra is a Research Intern at CSDR.

Hely Desai

Research Associate

Hely Desai is a nuclear policy expert and Research Fellow at CTBTO, focusing on South Asian nuclear policy. With an MPhil from Cambridge, she has worked at the Centre for Air Power Studies and India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

Akanksha Baruah

Research Intern

Akansha is a reserach intern at CSDR.

Aersh Danish

Lead – Communications and Outreach

Aersh has over nine years of experience in foreign policy and security studies, research, and strategic communications. At CSDR, Aersh leads the production and dissemination of quality content for CSDR’s various stakeholders.

Experts

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

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.

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. Tishya Khillare

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.

IDEAS INSPIRING CHANGE, GLOBAL IMPACT

Our programs encompass an array of critical topics, including climate security, emerging technologies, gender-sensitive foreign policy, non-traditional security, artificial intelligence, Defense and security, Geopolitics, Regionalism, Internet and society, among others.