Ashoka Reflections_FEBRUARY 2024
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It has been a proud month for Ashoka
University with two of our Professors being
awarded prestigious Fellowships
Ashoka Reflections | Page 04
Ashwini Deshpande, Head of the Department, Economics and Professor of Economics, Ashoka University is
among 10 to have been named annual fellows by the International Economic Association. The annual
fellowship is awarded to “economists worldwide who have made an important contribution through the
creation or dissemination of new ideas and high-quality policy work.” She is also the founding Director of the
Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA) at Ashoka University.
The IEA was founded in 1950 as a non-governmental organisation, as part of a UNESCO-driven initiative. The
IEA is governed by a council, composed of representatives of its member associations and some co-opted
members. Two of its past presidents are Amartya Sen (1986–1989) and Kaushik Basu (2017-2021). The fellow
award recipients are selected by a Nominating Committee which, according to the Association, takes it upon
itself to “ensure regional diversity and gender balance.”
On being awarded this honour, she shared, “I am truly honoured to be chosen for the International
Economic Association (IEA) Fellowship Award and am grateful for the recognition of my work. I would
like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my friends, colleagues, and students for their messages of
support and encouragement, which have been invaluable to me. This award serves as a reminder to
continue striving for excellence.”
Dr Anurag Agrawal, Dean, BioSciences and Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University
has been selected for the JC Bose National Fellowship instituted by the Government of India.
The JC Bose Fellowship is awarded to active scientists in recognition of their outstanding performance. The
fellowship is scientist-specific and very selective. It is named after Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. He was a
polymath interested in biology, physics, botany and writing science fiction. He was a pioneer in the
investigation of radio microwave optics, made significant contributions to botany, and was a major force
behind the expansion of experimental science on the Indian subcontinent. Bose is considered the father of
Bengali science fiction. He invented the crescograph, a device for measuring the growth of plants. A crater on
the Moon was named in his honour. He founded the Bose Institute, a premier research institute in India and
also one of its oldest. Established in 1917, the institute was the first interdisciplinary research centre in Asia,
where he also served as the Director.
Expressing his joy over receiving this Fellowship, he shared, “It is an honour to receive a fellowship named
after a polymath like JC Bose. It is fitting to receive it at Ashoka University, allowing me to learn and
hopefully contribute across natural and social sciences.”
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