Can you tell us a little more about your studies/research?
My PhD project is in the area of Political Communication with a focus on India's foreign policy communication amid escalating US-China strategic tensions. I am also interested in theoretical questions surrounding friendship, risingness, and fantasies in international politics.
What has been one of your most memorable experiences at UC?
Coming to New Zealand, studying at UC, have all been very memorable for me. It’s an experience that I will cherish throughout my life. I have met some really brilliant people both within and outside UC, and formed lasting friendships. The environment at UC, particularly in my department, has been incredibly supportive and welcoming—especially for an international student like myself.
What is one achievement that makes you proud?
There are two achievements which I am particularly proud of. First, I was awarded Routledge/Roundtable Commonwealth Studentship— a highly competitive grant that is awarded to only two PhD candidates worldwide, one from the UK, and the other from a non-UK commonwealth country. Second, I secured the Ernst Mach Grant from the OeAD, an Austrian government agency, to support a four-month-long research stay at Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (Vienna School of International Studies), starting in November 2025.
What’s been your biggest challenge/learning experience?
I think the biggest learning that I have had in the last almost three years of my PhD is to not be afraid of working hard. There are no real shortcuts to success, and if you think you can find them, people with more experience than you, such as your supervisors will be able to see what you have done. Embracing hard work also teaches you discipline and persistence.
What’s some advice you’d give to someone considering diving into PG studies/research?
I am generally not a very advice-y person because—as I see it—giving advice generally assumes that there is a single optimal way to live or learn. That said, one of the biggest concerns that I often come across (and I am personally grappling with) is the anxiety around job market—are there enough jobs post PG studies/PhD? Most people do not want to ‘waste’ their years over a degree which may or may not improve their chances of securing a job. But this, again, assumes a capitalistic/optimization-oriented way of looking at life.
So if I could give just one advice to anyone considering PG studies/research that would be: go for it if it genuinely interests you. If it doesn’t, then don’t. At the end of the day, it is all about enriching your life with interesting, exciting, and meaningful experiences—they can be academic, and they can also be non-academic.
Did you take part in any internships, exchanges, field trips? Did these help you with getting into your career? What did they teach you?
I am currently working as a Research Assistant on an EU and Erasmus-funded Political Communication project under my PhD supervisor Professor Natalia Chaban. The experience has profoundly helped me acquire both transferable and non-transferable skills. Moreover, I will be undertaking a four-month-long research stay in Vienna starting in November 2025, which will hopefully further expand my academic and intercultural experience.
Do you have any future goals?
My medium-term goals are to finish my thesis and make progress on multiple parallel papers that I have been working on over the last two years. Long-term goal would be to continue to contribute towards academia through research that is both empirically and theoretically grounded.
