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Dr. Happymon Jacob

Founder & Director

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

Happymon Jacob is an Associate Professor of Diplomacy and Disarmament at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Dr Jacob has held various academic and research positions, including at the University of Jammu, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Centre for Air Power Studies, Delhi Policy Group, and Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. He has also been a member of the Pugwash Council since 2013. Dr Jacob is an accomplished author, having written the books ‘Line on Fire: Ceasefire Violations and India-Pakistan Escalation Dynamics’ (OUP, 2019) and ‘Line of Control: Traveling with the Indian and Pakistani Armies’ (Penguin Viking, 2018). He is a regular columnist for The Hindu. Dr Jacob is committed to bridging the gap between policy and scholarship.

Areas of
Expertise

Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding

Indian Foreign Policy

International Relations and Geopolitics

Nuclear Non-Proliferation

FOUNDERS

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

Radhey Shyam

Radhey manages the CSDR office and ensures it remains a welcoming and enabling environment for CSDR staff and guests.

Torunika Roy

Research Assistant

Torunika Roy is a PhD candidate in Korean Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She holds a BA from Ewha Womans University and an MA from JNU. Her research focuses on gender dynamics, low fertility rates, denuclearization, and socio-political issues in East Asia, particularly South Korea.

Araudra Singh

Research Assistant

Araudra is a Research Intern at CSDR.

Vedant Thakkar

Research Intern

Vedant is a research intern at CSDR. His key research areas include international energy security, ethnic conflict and conflict resolution avenues. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy from the Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) at O.P. Jindal Global University.

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.

Taasha Mistry

Reserach Intern

Taasha Mistry is an intern at CSDR. She is a student of International Relations and Advertising at FLAME University and is committed to pursuing a career in the field of Security Studies and Risk Analysis, while other topics that interest her include Foreign Policy and Diplomacy.

Experts

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.

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.

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.

Ashok K. Kantha

Distinguished Fellow

Ashok K. Kantha is a distinguished diplomat who served as India’s Ambassador to China (2014-16) and Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs. With over 38 years of diplomatic experience specializing in India’s neighborhood relations, he was India’s lead negotiator for key agreements with China.

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.

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