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Paper co-authored by Dr Lakshmi Narayanan published in Advances in Space Research

Dr Lakshmi Narayanan, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS, has co-authored a paper titled Cross-equatorial travelling ionospheric disturbances and changes in background ionospheric densities over Indian longitudes during the geomagnetic storm of 20–21 December 2015, which has been published in Advances in Space Research. This study examines the ionospheric response over the Indian region during a space weather event in December 2015. Additionally, it tracks a propagating disturbance in the ionosphere that originated in the Australian sector and dissipated over North India. Such wave disturbances play a crucial role in the energy distribution of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. This research is the result of a collaborative effort among scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; UCAR, USA; the Indian Center for Space Physics, Kolkata; the Airports Authority of India; and Krea University.

Read the paper here

Article co-authored by Nickhil Sharma published in AI & Society

An article co-authored by Nickhil Sharma, Visiting Faculty, SIAS, titled, Intersectional analysis of visual generative AI: the case of stable diffusion has been published in AI & Society.

The article critically examines Stable Diffusion, a widely used open-source visual Generative AI tool, through an intersectional lens. It explores how AI-generated imagery can perpetuate existing social hierarchies—including sexism, racism, heteronormativity, and ableism—by defaulting to representations that are often white, able-bodied, and masculine-presenting. It also highlights the dominance of Euro- and North America-centric aesthetic norms within these outputs.

Importantly, the article moves beyond questions of bias in outputs to interrogate the institutional and ideological frameworks that inform the design and deployment of these tools. As digital technologies increasingly shape our political and social lives, the work underscores the importance of analysing the structures and ideas that produce them.

The authors advocate for a reparative and social justice-oriented approach to visual generative AI—one that actively addresses the injustices these systems can reinforce and imagines more inclusive and equitable technological futures.

The team invites readers to explore the full article and engage in the broader conversation on equity and accountability in AI development.

Read the full article here

Dr Rangachary Kommanduri awarded grant under MeitY EiR Program

Dr Rangachary Kommanduri, Visiting Assistant Professor, Data Science, SIAS, has been awarded a grant under the MeitY Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) Program for his proposal, ‘Transforming Campus Safety with AI-Powered Anomaly Detection Solutions.’ The program, which supports early-stage entrepreneurs in developing innovative technology solutions, is supported by Gyan Circle Ventures (CIEDI) at IIIT Sri City and funded under the TIDE 2.0 initiative by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The project focuses on developing an AI-powered surveillance system to detect abnormal activities on campus, such as intrusions, unattended objects, and potential security threats like physical altercations. The system will provide real-time alerts, enhancing campus safety through swift intervention.

Dr Chirag Dhara delivers a talk at Jawaharlal Nehru University

Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS, delivered a talk at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning (CESP), Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, on 18 March 2025. The talk, titled “Inequality and Climate Destabilisation,” was part of the CESP Seminar Series 2025.

Abstract
How would the world have warmed if each country’s lifestyle had been globally adopted? Our analysis reveals that universalising the lifestyles of most industrialised countries would have warmed the planet by over 1.5°C by 2002. Thus, the current (relative) climate stability is owed to the modest lifestyles of the global majority. Many consequences follow.

Dr Joya John selected to attend Balzan Colloquium at Harvard University

Dr Joya John, Assistant Professor, Literature, SIAS, has been selected to attend the Balzan Colloquium at the Institute of World Literature, Harvard University, from 30 June to 24 July 2025. The three-week colloquium brings together participants from five regions of the world: Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and South/Southeast Asia. Each year, the colloquium focuses on a specific topic with implications for world literature. In 2025, the theme will be ‘Literature and Environmental Crisis’. Participants will meet weekly to share and discuss their work on the topic and will be invited to submit their essays for a special issue of the Journal of World Literature, scheduled for publication in the fall of the following year.

Dr Chirag Dhara pens an op-ed in The Hindu

Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS, along with Dr Soumyajit Bhar, has penned an op-ed in The Hindu titled The dangerous illusion cast by development rankings. The authors articulate a new vision of sustainable development, discussing how the United Nations Development Program has shaped countries’ perceptions of progress for decades. They argue that its conception of development is outdated and incompatible with advances in sustainability science. The piece proposes a new framework for development in the 21st century.

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SIAS Students Sparsh Makharia, Vatsalya Betala, and Aarav Akali secure second place in EMPOWER Hackathon at IIM Ahemedabad

SIAS students Sparsh Makharia, Vatsalya Betala, and Aarav Akali (Cohort 2022-26) secured 2nd place at the prestigious EMPOWER Hackathon, an inter-college competition hosted by IIM Ahmedabad’s Social Innovation Club (IDEOS), Ashoka University’s Social Impact Club (Anitya), and the CS Society of Ashoka University.

The EMPOWER Hackathon: Tech for Social Good brought together students from across India to develop innovative, technology-driven solutions addressing pressing social challenges. Competing against 162 participants, the team showcased exceptional problem-solving, technical expertise, and entrepreneurial thinking, delivering a solution that stood out among the top contenders.

Their project, PlantGuard, is an offline hardware-integrated AI system for real-time plant disease detection. It leverages three AI models to analyse plant health and provides farmers with instant feedback, helping them take timely preventive measures. The Hackathon involved an online round, and a final in-person pitch and prototype demonstration at IIM Ahmedabad, concluding in a podium finish for the team.

This achievement was made possible with the support of Krea University’s Cyber Club, which provided essential hardware components and assisted with transportation to IIM Ahmedabad, ensuring the team could participate and present their solution at the final round.

Kaustav Mehta’s undergraduate capstone thesis published in BMC Neurology

Kaustav Mehta, Teaching Fellow, Data Science, SIAS’ undergraduate capstone thesis titled ‘Exploring comorbidity networks in mild traumatic brain injury subjects through graph theory: a traumatic brain injury model systems study’ has been published in BMC Neurology. The paper is co-authored by Dr Shyam Kumar Sudhakar, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, SIAS.

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Dr Proma Raychaudhury pens an op-ed in Anandabazar Patrika

Dr Proma Raychaudhury, Assistant Professor, Politics, SIAS recently published an op-ed in Bengali at Anandabazar Patrika, an analysis of the Trump-Zelensky interaction through the performative approach to populist politics. Read here.
Dr Raychaudhary also delivered an invited lecture at Adamas University’s Guest Lecture Series on Exploring Women’s Participation and Representation in Indian Politics on 10 March 2025. She also delivered an online talk at a public forum on political science called Rashtrabiggan Charchakendra on 15 March 2025. Watch the talk

Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda publishes an essay in the Frontline

Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda, Associate Professor, Politics, SIAS has published an essay, Telangana’s SC subclassification risks reinforcing old inequities in Frontline (10 March 2025).

About the Essay

Following the Supreme Court’s verdict on the sub-classification of SC reservations, the Telangana government took the initiative to implement this by categorising 59 Dalit castes into three groups based on their socio-economic and educational status. While the move aims to ensure more equitable distribution, concerns persist about dominant sub-groups potentially monopolizing the benefits.

To achieve true justice, Gundimeda suggests a merit-based equity model that considers factors such as generational access, educational background, and employment history. This model would prioritise the most disadvantaged individuals within each sub-group. Additionally, he advocates for gender justice by proposing a sub-quota for women within each category.
While Telangana’s decision is significant, its long-term success hinges on the careful and nuanced implementation of this policy to prevent further marginalization. The proposed model could serve as a framework for other states, ensuring fair representation while addressing the structural inequalities that Ambedkar envisioned in his approach to reservations.

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