Past Researchers

Adil Rana Chhina

Adil Rana Chhina did his MA in War, Media and Society from the University of Kent, UK. He has previously worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) as a historical researcher to highlight the role of the Indian Army in the two world wars. He specifically examined the commemoration of Indian war dead by the CWGC. He was actively involved in the ‘India and the Great War’ centenary commemoration project launched jointly by the USI and the Ministry of External Affairs. His research interests include the colonial Indian Armed Forces, and Allied and Japanese psychological warfare during the Second World War. He was a Senior Research Associate with the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies.


Aaliya Khan

Aaliya Khan was an Associate Research Fellow at the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies (CMHCS). She holds a master’s degree in Economics and an M Phil in West Asian Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia. Previously, she has worked in different media and publishing organisations including The Milli Gazette and Pharos Media and Publishing. Her research interests include conflict and peace, and cultural studies.


Bhanushali Ghalot

Bhanushali Gahlot worked as a Senior Research Assistant at the Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research. She joined the Centre in 2014 and has been part of the organising team of the joint USI- Ministry of External Affairs, Govt of India ‘India and the Great War’ project that seeks to highlight India’s role in the Great War during the worldwide centenary commemoration of the conflict. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History (hons.) from Delhi University. Previously she has briefly worked with Sahapedia – An open online resource on Arts, Cultures and Heritage of India, other Ministry of External Affairs projects and the national newspaper the ‘Statesman’. Her research interests include oral and visual narratives, preservation and archiving, and the social history of colonial India.


Nusrat Ansari

Nusrat Ansari was a Research Assistant at the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies (CMHCS). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History (hons.) from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. Previously, she worked extensively with organization in the social sector, dealing with issues like community bonding, displacement, preservation of culture, and protection of natural heritage. Her research interests include the history of colonial era, particularly the Mutiny of 1857 and the Partition of India, preservation of achieves and first-hand accounts, and photo documentaries.


Apoorva Heroor

Apoorva Heroor was a Research Assistant at the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies (CMHCS). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Mysore and a Master’s degree in South Asian Studies from Pondicherry University. Previously she has worked at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore as a research intern. Her research interests include colonial history, Western and Indian Political Thought, and South Asian politics.


Neha Kohli

Neha Kohli was the Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies (CMHCS). Prior to joining the USI, she was Associate Editor of the Journal of Defence Studies, published by the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi from 2012-2020. She has worked with reputed academic publishing houses such as Oxford University Press and Sage Publications. She has also worked in the print media, with The Pioneer, The Financial Express and The Indian Express newspapers. At MP-IDSA, she has authored and co-authored articles and book chapters as part of the Institute’s projects.

Neha studied Journalism (Hons.) at Kamala Nehru College, Delhi University, followed by MA in Politics with specialisation in International Relations from the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She then obtained an MPhil degree from the same university, from the Centre for West Asian and African Studies.

 

Shefali Oberoi

Shefali Oberoi is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies (CMHCS) [formerly Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research]. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in Journalism from Amity University, Haryana. She has prior experience in the service sector as part of community- building and human resource teams. She has also worked in the social sector with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Association. Her research interests include Indian colonial history and preservation of archives.


Niharika Tarneja 

Niharika Tarneja is a Research Assistant for the Centre for Military History and Conflict Studies (CMHCS). She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from King’s College London and a Bachelor’s degree in Economic (hons) from Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, GGSIP University, Delhi. Her prior experience includes working as a Senior Community Facilitator with King’s College London, to plan and implement community engagement activities and provide active support to the upper management. She also has prior management training and research experience with the Quality Council of India and Observer Research Foundation respectively. Her research interests include gender politics, geopolitics and history of the Commonwealth.