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Naisha Khan

Research Assistant

Naisha Khan is a Research Assistant at CSDR, working on the ‘Women, Peace and Security in India: An Inclusive Agenda’ project.

Naisha Khan is a Research Assistant at CSDR, working on the ‘Women, Peace and Security in India: An Inclusive Agenda’ project. She holds an MSc in International Relations from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU, Singapore, and a BA (Research) in International Relations from Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR.

Prior to joining CSDR, Naisha worked as a Research Assistant at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security at RSIS, contributing to research on gender, digital technologies, climate security, and complex emergencies in Southeast Asia. Previously, she has also interned at the Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies and at Project Statecraft.

Naisha’s undergraduate dissertation on higher education institutions as sites of violence and resistance in Gaza was selected for presentation at the BISA-ISA joint international conference 2025. Her writing has also appeared in The Diplomat and South Asia Monitor. Her research interests include non-traditional security issues situated within the broader geopolitical contestations of the Indo-Pacific.

Areas of
Expertise

Climate Security

Gender

Non-Traditional Security

FOUNDERS

Prof. 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

Dr. Sidharth Raimedhi

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. 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.

Bashir Ali Abbas

Senior Research Associate

Bashir Ali Abbas is a Research Associate at CSDR.

Devika Makkat

Research Associate

Devika Makkat is Research Associate – Operations at CSDR.the Council for Strategic and Defense Research, New Delhi.

Lara Farrar

Visiting Fellow

Lara Farrar is a visiting fellow with CSDR as part of the Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship India. An award-winning journalist, Farrar is in India researching the development of the country’s critical minerals sector.

Amen Naithani

Research Associate

Amen is a Research Associate at CSDR and works on projects under the Indo-Pacific and Climate Security and Diplomacy programs.

Experts

Prof. C Raja Mohan

Distinguished Fellow & ROK Chair

C Raja Mohan is a Distinguished Fellow at CSDR and directs CSDR’s Geopolitics and International Security Program. He also holds the Republic of Korea Chair at CSDR, supported by the Korea Foundation.

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.

Rakesh Sood

Distinguished Fellow

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

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.

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.

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.

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