NEW YORK (TIP): Eight Indian Americans figure among 30 winners of the 2023 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, a merit-based graduate school program for immigrants and children of immigrants. Chosen for their achievements and their potential to make meaningful contributions to the United States across fields of study, they each will receive up to $90,000 in funding to support their graduate studies at institutions such as Harvard University, MIT, Stanford University, and Yale University.
The eight Indian American winners are: Dhruv Gaur, Jaspreet Kaur, Omair M. Khan, Nathan Mallipeddi, Arjun Menta, Vaibhav Mohanty, Shyamala Ramakrishna and Shomik Verma. Dhruv Gaur, PhD in economics at MIT.
Child of immigrants from India; Brown graduate; won Jeopardy! College Championship tournament; studying the effects of severe marginalization on health.
Jaspreet Kaur, MFA in writing for screen & television at the University of Southern California.
DACA recipient from India; Harvard graduate; Brown Girl Joy Productions co-founder; creating films to uplift intersectional narratives of underrepresented communities.
Omair M. Khan, MD/PhD in stem cell biology & regenerative medicine at Stanford University.
Child of immigrants from India; authored his first scientific publications in high school; Yale graduate; working in policy and venture capital while he pursues a career as a physician-scientist.
Nathan Mallipeddi, MD/MBA at Harvard University and Stanford University.
Child of immigrants from India; UCLA graduate; founded Myspeech to connect people who stutter with critical speech therapy resources; biotechnology investor.
Arjun Menta, MD at Johns Hopkins University.
Child of immigrants from India; UT Austin graduate; holds multiple patents; accomplished researcher leading multiple scientific and translational efforts in neurosurgery.
Vaibhav Mohanty, MD/PhD in chemistry at Harvard University and MIT.
Child of immigrants from India; Harvard graduate; accomplished composer; theoretical physicist aspiring to develop novel therapeutic approaches to combat evolving diseases.
Shyamala Ramakrishna, JD at Yale University.
Child of Tamil immigrants from India; Yale graduate; focused on workers’ rights and future of work policy; lead vocalist in her band, FORAGER.
Shomik Verma, PhD in mechanical engineering at MIT
Child of immigrants from India; Duke graduate; working on improving reliability of renewable energy and on a power plant based on thermophotovoltaic power conversion. Since the Fellowship’s founding 25 years ago, the program has provided more than $80 million in funding, and recipients have studied a range of fields from medicine and the arts to law and business, according to a press release.
The alumni network includes US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who is the first surgeon general of Indian descent and helped lead the national response to Ebola, Zika, and the coronavirus.
“My and Paul’s experiences as immigrants informed our desire to give back by investing in the accomplishments of New Americans,” said Co-Founder Daisy Soros. “It has been a joy to see how our Fellows leverage their education over the years to make a deep impact across communities.”
“Immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees have and continue to make our nation stronger,” said Fellowship Director Craig Harwood. “The diverse perspectives and approaches that each Fellow this year, and the many who have come before them, brings to their fields and our society is remarkable and inspiring.”
The application for the 2024-25 academic year is now open and is due in October of 2023. Selection criteria focuses on accomplishments that show creativity, originality, and initiative and  is open to college seniors, students applying to graduate school, and those who are in the early stages of graduate school.
All applicants must be planning to be enrolled full-time in an accredited graduate program in the US in the 2024-25 academic year. In addition, applicants must be 30 or younger as of the application deadline.