Dr. A. K. Shiva Kumar

Director

Dr. Shiva Kumar teaches economic and public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, and is also a visiting professor at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. He has been associated with preparing national human development reports in several countries, including Bhutan, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Serbia. In addition to serving as an advisor to UNICEF India, he is a member of India’s National Advisory Council. Shiva received a PhD in political economy and government from Harvard University.

Khalid Jaleel

Deputy Director, Admissions

Khalid has been associated with the ISS in some capacity since the inception of the program. Presently, he also serves as the Programme Coordinator at Esya Centre. Prior to this, he served as the Program Coordinator at the Centre for Escalation of Peace, which is focused on establishing programs that focus on empowering young minds. Alongside this, he served as an Academic Councillor at the Arjun Singh Centre for Distance and Open Learning, Jamia Millia Islamia (Jamia). Khalid earned his Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of South Alabama, USA and a Master’s degree in Political Science from Jamia.

Rakshitha Arni Ravishankar

Deputy Director, Outreach

Rakshitha has led digital communications at the Council of Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). She has also worked as an editor at Ascend, Harvard Business Review's vertical for early career professionals. Rakshitha is a journalist by training and started her career as a breaking news editor at a U.S.-based news media agency covering politics, gun violence, and climate. She holds a Master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School and a PG diploma in Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding (CTPB).

Dr. Adnan Farooqui

Dr. Adnan Farooqui is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He earned his Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru University and has been teaching at Jamia Millia Islamia since April 2008. Dr. Farooqui's research interests include party systems, electoral politics, and ethnic politics in India.

AMJAD ALI KHAN

Amjad is the founding Director of the International Summer School, New Delhi, and concurrently serves as the interim head of the Esya Centre. Moreover, he continually engages with other think tanks as part of their efforts to promote the exchange of ideas and people across borders, particularly in the South Asian region. His professional journey began at the Planning Commission where he was among the youngest Consultants to be under the direct employ of the Government of India. He holds a Master’s degree from SOAS at the University of London and a Bachelor’s degree from Warwick Business School.

MeghNa BAL

Meghna Bal is the Director at Esya Centre. She is a lawyer by training with deep experience in media and emerging technology. Previously, she worked on legal and policy strategy at the Walt Disney Company. Before Disney, she set up and led the India office for Consensys, the world’s largest blockchain technology company.

PROF. NISAR-UL-HAQ

Prof. Haq serves as a Professor at the Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia. In his career, he has served as a member on numerous Board of Studies and Academic Committees. He has also served as an Observer on the U.N. Human Rights Commission, Geneva, Switzerland (2010-2012).