Penn in India Faculty Speaker Series
The Penn in India: Faculty Speaker Series aims to highlight the wide range of research conducted by Penn faculty in India and engage the Penn community in intimate conversations on a broad range of topics.
During each session, Penn faculty engage in a 60-minute virtual, moderated discussion about their work covering a wide range of research interests, from the urban studies and politics, to behavioral economics and health, to online education. The Faculty Speaker Series is sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India (UPIASI), Penn Global, and Penn Alumni.
These events are geared toward the Penn alumni community in India; however, members of the wider Penn and academic communities are always welcome.
Upcoming Event
Join us for a conversation with Prof. Harsha Thirumurthy, Associate Director of Penn’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, Associate Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, and Penn Development Research Initiative Co-Director, who will discuss his research leveraging behavioral economics insights to improve health and environmental outcomes in India, as well as Africa. Prof. Thirumurthy will be joined by Prof. Heather Schofield, Assistant Professor in the Perelman School of Medicine and The Wharton School, who will moderate the discussion.
Past Events
Dr. Eswaran Sridharan, Academic Director and Chief Executive of the University Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India (UPIASI) joined us for a one-hour virtual conversation rooted in his extensive research on electoral politics in India. Co-moderated by Dr. Tariq Thachil, Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI), Associate Professor of Political Science and Madan Lal Sobti Chair for the Study of Contemporary India, and Ramanan Raghavendran, Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania and Chair of the Governing Council of Penn’s Institute for the Advanced Study of India, the main thrust of the discussion centered around electoral trends and party systems, covering the 2019 elections, the rise of Modi, and of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Attendees also had an opportunity to learn more about UPIASI, CASI’s counterpart institution based in Delhi with a strong and growing research program led by Dr. Sridharan.
On October 23rd, Nikhil Anand, Associate Professor of Anthropology of the School of Arts and Sciences, joined us to discuss his work on India’s coastal communities, the impacts of climate change and how these challenges demand a rethinking of urbanization. His presentation focused on the following question: What might an attention to water reveal about the future of Indian cities? The discussion was moderated by Anuradha Mathur, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Weitzman School of Design.
Michael Golden and Betty Chandy (Penn GSE) joined us on September 12th to discuss Catalyst @ Penn GSE and the many ways in which they are working with teachers in India to equip them with the knowledge and skills to adapt and enhance the classroom experience through the use of technology. The discussion was moderated by Dean Pam Grossman (Penn GSE).
Professor Vinay Nadkarni (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Perelman School of Medicine) joined us for a conversation on August 20th to talk about his work to develop and grow the "ABC-Stop the Bleed" road traffic accident and injury response program and PediSTARS (Pediatric Simulation Training and Research Society) program in India. Professor Sampath Kannan (Engineering) moderated the discussion.
On July 30, Professor Heather Schofield (Perelman School of Medicine and The Wharton School), who co-founded a lab in Chennai, joined us for a conversation to discuss her work in India, which focuses on questions at the intersection of development, behavioral economics, and health. The discussion was moderated by Professor Harsha Thirumurthy (Perelman School of Medicine).
On July 15, 2020, Professor Tariq Thachil, who Penn welcomed on July 1st as the new Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI), Associate Professor of Political Science, and the Madan Lal Sobti Chair for the Study of Contemporary India, joined Penn Trustee Ramanan Raghavendran for a wide-ranging conversation about Prof. Thachil's research on the politics of urban migrants in India, and his vision for the future of CASI. This discussion was made possible in partnership with the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI).
