Select Page

Category : News

Previewing the Inaugural Harvard Pakistan Conference 2025

Apr 14, 2025 | Community, News, Pakistan, Students

For the first time in Harvard’s history, graduate students will host the Pakistan Conference at Harvard, supported by the Mittal Institute as well as research centers across the Harvard ecosystem. Taking place on April 27, 2025, on the Harvard Campus, the conference aims to bring together a diverse range of voices from policy, business, and civil society to arts, highlighting Pakistan’s opportunities, pathways, and challenges. We sat down with the two conference co-chairs—Muhammad Hadi from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Sannan Pervaiz from the Harvard Kennedy School—to learn what inspired the event, what attendees should expect, and why this matters right now.

Courses on South Asia at Harvard: Fall 2025

Apr 9, 2025 | Announcements, News, Students

Courses on South Asia at Harvard: Fall 2025

Harvard offers a diverse range of courses on South Asia, spanning language, history, politics, economics, religion, and beyond. Explore a selection of Fall 2025 offerings. For the latest updates, please consult the Course Catalog. We’ll continue to expand this list as new courses are announced.

Harvard Faculty Visit Ahmedabad, India, to Understand Extreme Heat Impacts

Apr 3, 2025 | Climate, Faculty, India, News

Harvard Faculty Visit Ahmedabad, India, to Understand Extreme Heat Impacts

In advance of the Mittal Institute’s major New Delhi conference last month, “India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future,” a group of nearly two dozen Harvard faculty, affiliates, and climate philanthropists spent two days on an extreme heat immersion trip in the city of Ahmedabad, India. The two days provided unique opportunities to dive more deeply into heat adaptation policies and practices in India, both centuries-old and modern.

India 2047: Four-day convening in New Delhi brings together 180 scholars to advance climate resilience in India and beyond

Apr 3, 2025 | Climate, Community, Faculty, India, News

India 2047: Four-day convening in New Delhi brings together 180 scholars to advance climate resilience in India and beyond

From March 19-22, more than 180 scholars and experts from Harvard and around the world gathered in New Delhi, India, for one of the largest events Harvard has ever hosted outside the United States. Leading experts in climate science, public health, medicine, labor, business, agriculture, and urban planning convened for “India 2047 – Building a Climate-Resilient Future,” a series of interdisciplinary dialogues on advancing climate resilience. 

Welcoming Naiza Khan, Mittal Institute Distinguished Artist Fellow

Mar 26, 2025 | Arts Program, In Region, News, Pakistan

Welcoming Naiza Khan, Mittal Institute Distinguished Artist Fellow

The Mittal Institute is delighted to welcome our newest Distinguished Artist Fellow, Naiza Khan, for a week-long residency on Harvard’s campus this April. A visual artist with a multidisciplinary practice spanning drawing, sculpture, archival material, and film, Khan explores themes of land, body, and memory.Her work engages deeply with museum collections and the circulation of objects linked to migration across the Indian Ocean, offering a critical lens on contemporary issues.

Spotlight on the Newly Launched Harvard Bangladeshi Students’ Association (HBSA)

Mar 25, 2025 | Announcements, Bangladesh, Community, News, Students

Spotlight on the Newly Launched Harvard Bangladeshi Students’ Association (HBSA)

This academic year, the Harvard Bangladeshi Students’ Association (HBSA) was founded as a University-wide recognized student organization to build community, amplify Bangladeshi voices, and create spaces for cultural celebration, professional development, and advocacy. The Mittal Institute spoke with president Moomtahina Fatima, vice-president Khondoker Nazmoon Nabi, and treasurer Safwan Hossain about the mission of their group, their inaugural event on February 21, and what role Harvard students from Bangladesh and other diaspora members can take in engaging on challenges that Bangladesh faces today.

Goa-ing the Extra Mile: A Journey of Learning Together Through PSIL

Mar 25, 2025 | In Region, India, News, Students

Goa-ing the Extra Mile: A Journey of Learning Together Through PSIL

The Program for Scientifically-Inspired Leadership (PSIL) brings together Harvard undergraduates, local college students from India, and underprivileged high school students in India for a week-long residential learning experience. Merlin D’souza ’25, Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Global Health and Health Policy, was part of the five-person Harvard undergraduate cohort, and she shares her own dispatch, below. 

Urbanization in Bangladesh: Prof. Adnan Morshed Previews His State of Architecture Talk

Mar 18, 2025 | Bangladesh, News

Urbanization in Bangladesh: Prof. Adnan Morshed Previews His State of Architecture Talk

The State of Architecture in South Asia series welcomes Professor Adnan Morshed for its next March 27 installment on “Good Density as Urban Justice.” Prof. Morshed, Professor at the School of Architecture and Planning at the Catholic University of America, is a practicing architect and architectural historian with an academic focus on the history and theory of modern architecture and urbanism. We spoke with Prof. Morshed in advance of his talk, which will explore urbanization in Bangladesh with a focus on population density.

Bridging the Gender Gap in Rural India Healthcare: Madhavi Jha ’25 Shares Student Grant Update

Mar 18, 2025 | India, News, Students

Bridging the Gender Gap in Rural India Healthcare: Madhavi Jha ’25 Shares Student Grant Update

Madhavi Jha, a doctoral student in Economics, spent this past winter in Suri, India, conducting research for her project, “Addressing Gender Disparities in the Diagnosis of NCDs in Rural India.” Supported by a Mittal Institute Student Grant, her work examines gender disparities in diagnosing and treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in rural India, with a particular focus on men’s lower engagement in preventive healthcare.

From India to the World: Student-Led India Conference at Harvard Showcases Country’s Rising Global Influence

Mar 12, 2025 | Community, India, News, Students

From India to the World: Student-Led India Conference at Harvard Showcases Country’s Rising Global Influence

The annual India Conference at Harvard is a student-led initiative that delves into India’s dynamic diversity and its growing influence on the world stage. For over 22 years, students from across Harvard’s schools have brought together thought leaders from business, economics, education, and culture to provide a comprehensive view of India’s present and future trajectory.

Harvard Researchers Broaden Study on Extreme Heat’s Effects on Health and Livelihoods

Mar 11, 2025 | Climate, India, News

Harvard Researchers Broaden Study on Extreme Heat’s Effects on Health and Livelihoods

Climate projections indicate that South Asia will face an increasing number of extremely hot days, posing severe direct and indirect threats to human health and livelihoods. However, traditional temperature measurements—whether from weather stations or satellites—fail to capture the localized effects of extreme heat. Enter the Heat Adaptation and Treatment Strategies (CommunityHATS) study, an initiative that follows hundreds of women working in the informal economy across a variety of indoor and outdoor environments in South Asia to provide a granular understanding of how extreme heat and humidity are truly experienced at the community level.