Dr. Hasan Raja Naqvi from Jamia Millia Islamia has been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Nehru Fellowship 2026, becoming one of the select Indian academics chosen for this distinguished exchange programme between India and the United States. The Assistant Professor from JMI’s Department of Geography will spend nine months in the United States conducting advanced collaborative research on flood risk and climate resilience.
The Fulbright Nehru Fellowship is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious academic honours an Indian scholar can receive, promoting mutual understanding, scholarly cooperation and knowledge exchange between the two countries.
What Is the Fulbright Nehru Fellowship?
The Fulbright Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship is a joint initiative between the governments of India and the United States. It funds Indian academics and professionals to undertake research, teaching and professional development at leading American institutions.
Each year, only a handful of scholars from across India are selected for this highly competitive fellowship — making Dr. Naqvi’s achievement a significant milestone both for him personally and for Jamia Millia Islamia as an institution.
Dr. Naqvi’s Research: GeoAI for Flood Risk and Climate Adaptation
As part of the Fulbright Nehru Fellowship 2026, Dr. Naqvi will collaborate with Dr. Farid Peiravian and Professor Christopher Burke at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Together, they will work on an interdisciplinary research project titled “From Climate Data to Resilience: Geospatial Artificial Intelligence Approaches to Flood Risk and Adaptation Planning for Periyar, India, and Upper Illinois, USA, Catchments.”
The project applies cutting-edge Geospatial Artificial Intelligence — known as GeoAI — alongside climate data analytics and spatial decision-support systems to assess flood risk and develop adaptation strategies for two river catchments: the Periyar river system in India and the Upper Illinois river basin in the United States.
The research aims to improve scientific understanding of climate-induced flood hazards, strengthen resilience planning and support sustainable watershed management in regions that are increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events.
Findings from the project are expected to generate actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners and disaster management agencies in both India and the United States.
Dr. Naqvi’s Academic Journey and Achievements
Dr. Hasan Raja Naqvi completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees in Geography from CCSU Meerut before earning his PhD from JMI’s Department of Geography in 2013.
Over the course of his academic career, he has published more than 50 research articles in national and international journals. He has also presented research at conferences and institutions across India, the United States, France, Ethiopia, China and Taiwan — establishing himself as a truly global academic voice in physical geography and climate science.
Dr. Naqvi has successfully completed an Indo-Taiwan joint research project as Principal Investigator, funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research. He is currently pursuing additional research projects funded by the Department of Science and Technology and CWBC.
In 2024, he was awarded the Scientific High Level Visiting Fellowship by France for a short research visit — making the Fulbright Nehru Fellowship 2026 his second major international fellowship in as many years.
His areas of expertise span physical geography, natural hazards, climate resilience, air pollution and geospatial technologies — a combination that places him at the forefront of applied climate research in India.
JMI Vice-Chancellor Congratulates Dr. Naqvi
The achievement drew warm recognition from the leadership of Jamia Millia Islamia. Vice-Chancellor Professor Mazhar Asif, Registrar Professor Md Mahtab Alam Rizvi and Dean of Students’ Welfare Professor Neelofer Afzal personally congratulated Dr. Naqvi and felicitated him with a ceremonial stole in recognition of his distinguished accomplishment.
The university leadership expressed immense pride in Dr. Naqvi’s achievement and assured him of full administrative and institutional support for his academic engagement in the United States.
What This Means for Jamia Millia Islamia
Dr. Naqvi’s selection for the Fulbright Nehru Fellowship 2026 is a testament not only to his individual excellence but also to the growing global standing of Jamia Millia Islamia as a centre for innovative and internationally recognised research.
As Indian universities compete for global visibility and research partnerships, achievements like this strengthen JMI’s reputation and open doors for future collaborations with leading institutions worldwide. The fellowship also highlights the increasing international demand for Indian expertise in climate science, geospatial technology and disaster risk management — fields that are becoming ever more critical as the world grapples with the consequences of climate change.
