Category : News

Tresa Abraham, Mittal Institute Raghunathan Family Fellow, on How Wild Animals Shaped Power in Colonial India

Nov 25, 2025 | Announcements, Fellows, India, News

Tresa Abraham, a cultural historian of colonial South Asia with a foundation in literary studies, is the Mittal Institute’s newest Raghunathan Family Fellow. Tresa’s research focus is on the use of wild animals in power negotiations in colonial India. Trained in English literary studies, she approaches the colonial past with a literary lens, weaving together histories of animals, humans, and the empire. We spoke with Tresa about her research, and what she hopes to focus on during her fellowship at Harvard.

Courses on South Asia at Harvard: Spring 2026

Nov 19, 2025 | Announcements, News, Students

Harvard offers a wide array of courses on South Asia, ranging from language to history, politics, economics, religion, and much more. Check out a selection of what is offered during Spring 2026. Please refer to the Course Catalog for the most up-to-date information. We will continue to add to this list as we hear about more courses.

From Smoke to Science: What History Teaches Us About Air Pollution

Nov 13, 2025 | Announcements, Climate, Faculty, India, News

In “From smoke to Science,” Prof. David Shumway Jones explores how history, science, and public health together reveal new ways to understand and combat air pollution today

Climate Extremes and Maternal Well-Being: Lessons from Tamil Nadu, South India

Nov 13, 2025 | Announcements, Associates, Climate, India, News

As heatwaves intensify and rainfall patterns shift, the effects of climate change in South Asia are no longer confined to the environment; they’re reshaping lives in deeply personal ways. A new India Development Review article, “In Tamil Nadu, Climate Extremes Are Reshaping Maternal Well-being,” by Mittal Institute Associate Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan explores how these environmental stresses are affecting maternal mental health across India. The research, supported by the Mittal Institute and building upon collaborations from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, offers powerful insights into the intersection of climate, health, and gender. Dr. Thangarajan, a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, gave us an introduction to his article and shared some images from his fieldwork in Tamil Nadu.

Reflections on Workplace Mental Health: A Formal and Informal Workforce Perspective

Nov 13, 2025 | India, News

The webinar, “Reflections on Workplace Mental Health: A Formal and Informal Workforce Perspective,” convened prominent voices from academia, policy, and worker organizations to discuss the critical importance of mental health in both formal and informal work settings. The discussion highlighted how different workplace contexts influence well-being and what steps are needed to build more supportive environments for workers.

Designing for Heat Resilience: Ultra-Low Cost Solutions for Overheating and Sleep Disruption in South Asian Homes

Nov 4, 2025 | Announcements, Climate, Faculty, India, News

Rising temperatures are pushing Indian cities to the limits of human comfort, with residents in rooftop rooms particularly affected by extreme heat trapped under concrete roofs. To address these challenges, the project “Ultra-Low Cost Solutions for Overheating and Sleep
Disruption in South Asian Homes” was initiated with support from a Mittal Institute Faculty Research grant.

Watch Now: India’s Path to a Sustainable Future

Nov 4, 2025 | Climate, Faculty, Faculty Climate Grants, News

Watch the event video from “Sun, Wind, and Biomass: India’s Path to a Sustainable Future,” a Harvard Climate Action Week book talk with Prof. Michael B. McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies at Harvard University, and Prem Shankar Jha, Former Visiting Fellow, Harvard-China Project; author and journalist. Co-sponsored by the Harvard-China Project on Energy, Economy, and Environment and the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University.

When Work Ends, the Heat Doesn’t

Nov 4, 2025 | Announcements, Climate, Faculty, News

Researchers supported by a Mittal Institute grant and affiliated with the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability argue that protecting workers across the Global South from hazardous heat must not stop when they leave the job, as many low-wage workers return to homes that stay dangerously hot overnight. Their work was published in the BMJ and featured in an article by the Salata Institute.

Beyond the Surface: Rinan Shah and Nobonita Rakshit Reframe India’s Water Crisis Through Boundaries, Gender, and Storytelling

Oct 28, 2025 | Associates, Climate, Fellows, India, News

Two India Fellows, Rinan and Nobonita, at the Mittal Institute, explore water through the lenses of governance, gender, and narrative has opened new ways of understanding this crisis. Instead of starting with scarcity as a number, their works ask us to see water as lived experience: shaped by boundaries, by politics, and by stories.

Brewing Belonging: International Tea Brings Students Together at Harvard

Oct 28, 2025 | Announcements, Graduate Student Associates, News, Students

International students make up more than a quarter of Harvard’s community, and many arrive searching for a sense of belonging. To help create that connection, Thomas Elliott, Programs and Administrative Coordinator at the Mittal Institute, is launching “International Tea”—a new gathering designed to bring students together and foster community. The first tea will be held on October 22nd and is open to invited Graduate Students and Fellows from regional centers. We spoke with Thomas about how this initiative came to life and what he hopes it will offer.

Mittal Institute Fellow Rose Sebastian on Science Museums and Nation-Building in Post-Independence India

Oct 22, 2025 | Announcements, Fellows, News

The Mittal Institute is delighted to welcome Rose Sebastian—a researcher with longtime interests in cultural studies, critical museum studies, and modern India—as the Mittal Institute’s Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Fellow. She is also a fellow with the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Science, Technology, and Society. Rose spoke with the Mittal Institute about her postdoctoral research project, where she is exploring science museums in post-independence India.

Dr. Eugene Richardson on Climate Vulnerability in Nepal

Oct 15, 2025 | Announcements, Faculty, Faculty Climate Grants, Nepal, News

Nepal is acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, grappling with rising temperatures and an increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and landslides. These environmental stresses pose significant threats not only to infrastructure and livelihoods, but also to cultural heritage, biodiversity, and long-term habitability. To better understand the human dimensions of this crisis, Professor Eugene Richardson, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is leading a research project that examines how local communities in Nepal perceive climate risks. His project, “Climate Change, Loss and Damage, and Habitability in Nepal,” is one of the inaugural recipients of the Mittal Institute’s new Faculty Climate Grant program.