Krishnalal Shridharani Translates Nonviolence for the American Academy
Published in 1939, War Without Violence offered the first rigorous sociological analysis of Gandhian nonviolence in English, written while Krishnalal Shridharani was a doctoral student at Columbia University. The book translated India’s independence movement into a framework American scholars and activists could study and apply. James Farmer and Bayard Rustin later credited it as a […]
Anant Agarwal
Anant Agarwal is an Indian American pioneer in non-traditional education and the co-founder and former president of edX, a massive open online course (MOOC) provider. Born in Mangalore, India, he earned his degrees from IIT Madras and Stanford before becoming a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and the director of its […]
Sal Khan
Sal Khan is an American educator whose mother, Masuda Khan, hails from Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. Raised in Louisiana, Khan left a career in engineering and finance to found Khan Academy, a nonprofit that provides free, mastery-based educational resources to learners worldwide. Its instructional videos have been viewed billions of times across digital platforms. Beyond […]
Neeli Bendapudi
Neeli Bendapudi is an academic leader who became president of Pennsylvania State University in 2022 after previously serving as president of the University of Louisville. A marketing scholar by training, she has held leadership positions at several major public universities. Bendapudi has focused on expanding research excellence, student success, and institutional innovation while leading one […]
Renu Khator
Renu Khator is an academic leader who has served as Chancellor of the University of Houston System and President of the University of Houston since 2008. Under her leadership, the university has achieved major gains in research, enrollment, and national recognition. Khator has been widely recognized for expanding access to higher education while strengthening one […]
Pradeep Khosla
Pradeep Khosla is an engineer and academic leader who has served as Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego since 2012. A specialist in robotics, artificial intelligence, and cyber-physical systems, he previously held leadership positions at Carnegie Mellon University. Khosla has guided UC San Diego’s expansion as a leading public research university while advancing […]
Ravi V. Bellamkonda
Ravi V. Bellamkonda is a biomedical engineer and academic leader. In 2026, he became president of Ohio State University, having previously served as dean of engineering at Duke University and as Ohio State’s provost. His research on neural engineering and regenerative medicine, combined with his leadership of major research universities, has strengthened American higher education […]
Beheruz Sethna
Beheruz Sethna is a trailblazing educator who made history as the first person of Indian origin to serve as president of a U.S. university. Serving as the sixth president of the University of West Georgia from 1994 to 2013, he transformed the institution from a liberal arts college into a comprehensive, doctoral-granting university. During his […]
Raj Chetty
Raj Chetty is an economist whose research transformed the study of economic opportunity and social mobility in the United States. A pioneer in using large-scale data to study mobility, his research identifies systemic barriers to the American Dream and develops policy solutions to help children rise out of poverty. At Harvard University, he developed the […]
Raghuram Rajan
Raghuram Rajan is an economist whose research has shaped modern thinking on finance, banking, and economic policy. In 2003, he received the inaugural Fischer Black Prize from the American Finance Association, honoring path-breaking contributions by finance researchers under 40. As a University of Chicago professor, he warned that systemic risks in global financial markets could […]