KUBERNEIN INITIATIVE - Key Persons


Aadhya Shah

Job Titles:
  • Senior Program Manager
Aadhya is a Senior Program Manager and works on a wide range of geopolitical, climate, and sustainability initiatives, including Feminist Foreign Policy, and the Sustainable India Report with key partner organisations. She has previously worked with Harvard University as a Project Coordinator in their Professional Education space, at their Law School's Dean's office and at MIT in their Student Life areas, in various capacities. She has also held roles in India and worked with Linde India in the area of key account management. While her background is in project management, and organisational management, Aadhya has a keen interest in foreign policy issues. She undertook a course ‘Philosophical Foundations of Economic Justice' under the Harvard Extension School, which further ignited a long-standing personal interest in the field of international relations, philosophy and its integration with economics and the society at large. Aadhya holds a master's degree in Economics from the University of Warwick with a focus on International Trade, Development Economics, and Law and Economics, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Gujarat University.

Aditi Mukund

Job Titles:
  • Program Associate
Aditi is a Program Associate, leading Kubernein Initiative's work on inclusive foreign policy, as well as other gender and feminist foreign policy projects. She runs the Women in International Relations Network initiative, which seeks to amplify the voices of women and marginalised communities in international security, foreign policy, and peacebuilding and conflict resolution, with a focus on India and the Global South. She is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper in the Mumbai hub. She is currently also a part of the 2023 EU-India Young Leaders Programme. Aditi has an academic background in International Studies, Mass Media, and English Literature and Psychology. Her areas of interest are interdisciplinary, and include non-traditional security, climate change, and building inclusive and resilient futures. She has previously worked with research organisations, start-ups, and non-profits in various capacities.

Ambika Vishwanath - Founder

Job Titles:
  • Co - Founder
  • Director
  • Analyst and Water Security Specialist
Ambika is a geopolitical analyst and water security specialist with experience in the field of governance and foreign policy. She has led track two diplomacy efforts and consulted with several governments and international organizations in the MENA region, Europe and India, and helped shape their policies in the field of conflict resolution, water diplomacy and security. The first Indian to be invited as a member of the prestigious Munich Young Leaders Network, she has been invited to consult with and speak at various events and conference across the MENA region, India and Europe, by The Hague Institute, Koerber Foundation, Central University of Jammu, TERI, Mumbai University and others. Ambika has been interviewed and published in newspapers and online media including The Third Pole, China Water Risk, The National, Project Syndicate, 9DashLine, Al Jazeera, Europäische Sicherheit, Stratfor, Atlantic Community, Hurriyet, Turkish Weekly, Daily News Egypt, Jordan Times, and Stockholm International Affairs Quarterly amongst others. She is part of the inaugural cohort of the China-India Visiting Scholars (CIVS) Fellowship, 2020 - 2021, Ashoka University and also a Non-Resident Fellow with the Agora Institute, Germany. Passionate about: Random new places, good food, coffee and whiskey, preferably all at the same time, solo or with friends and family depending on her mood. She loves to read, though there never seems to be time and enjoys good trashy tv on long flights.

Hritik Bhasin

Job Titles:
  • Research Analyst
Hritik is a Research Analyst currently working on Kubernein Initiative's Indo-Pacific & Feminist Foreign Policy projects. Hritik holds an MA in Diplomacy, Law, Business (MA.DLB) from O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) and a BBA (International Business) from MIT-WPU. He has interned previously with organisations like the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and a GRC based risk consulting firm WoRisGo. His areas of interest and research are international economics, trade, and foreign policy. Hritik also runs a blog called "India and the World" that seeks to highlight the relationship and position of India in the world but also the effect of the rest of the world on India.

Namrata Kabra

Job Titles:
  • Program Associate
Namrata Kabra is a Program Associate, leading the projects on Water & Climate Security with an intersectional gender lens. Namrata holds an LL.M. in Environmental Laws & Climate Change; PG Diplomas in Tourism & Environmental Law; and Environmental Law & Policy. Namrata has over 7 years of experience, as a legal researcher with national, regional, and international organizations on environment, biodiversity and climate laws. She coordinates and facilitates the South Asia Bioregionalism Working Group, a network for reimagining eco/bioregional governance in South Asia. Her areas of work include legal and evidence-based research, policymaking, building advocacy around climate change adaptation with a focus on gender justice, human rights, human mobility, and rights of nature. Her overarching interests lie in legal education, urban governance, transboundary cooperation, and access to information and justice.

Priyanka Bhide - Founder

Job Titles:
  • Co - Founder
  • Director
  • Strategy and Communications Specialist
Priyanka is a strategy and communications specialist with over a decade experience working with the private and non-profit sectors in South Asia, North America and Europe. She has expertise on a wide range of issues which include sustainable development, future forecasting, water diplomacy, governance, security, conflict resolution and renewable energy. Priyanka was a consultant with the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service in New York and has worked with Suzlon Energy, Strategic Foresight Group, Institute for Sustainable Communities and Dalberg Advisors in Asia. She is currently a Visiting Faculty at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai, where she teaches Business Communications.

Sanya Saroha

Job Titles:
  • Research Analyst
Sanya is a Research Analyst and currently working on urban resilience and water and climate programs. She has also worked on Feminist Foreign Policy projects. She holds a master's degree in International Relations from University of Bath, United kingdom, where her final dissertation was entitled, "Lifting the veil of women's participation in the world of terror: Al-Qaeda and LTTE take advantage". She even published an article on "Taliban's acceptance of women's rights - reality or a façade" with The Middle East and Central Asia Research Centre. Sanya has previously worked with the Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis where she co-authored a paper on, "US-Taliban talks for Afghan peace: Complexities Galore". Her research interests include conflict resolution, peace building and gender studies. Passionate about: I have a strong passion for adventurous travel, particularly when it involves activities like trekking, exploring historic sites, learning about significant figures and architecture, taking long morning walks in nature, and dedicating time to spiritual activities.