This July, the UChicago Center in Delhi welcomed the second cohort of the India Summer Fellows Program — fifteen undergraduate students from the University of Chicago, brought together for a summer of immersive learning across India.
A joint collaboration between the University of Chicago Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth and Career Advancement, the India Summer Fellows Program is an intensive experiential program based at Ahmedabad University. Participants gain first-hand exposure to the unique challenges and opportunities India faces while balancing climate change, energy demand and economic growth. The program is supported by the UChicago Center in Delhi, the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago - India (EPIC India), and UChicago Career Advancement.
The India Summer Fellows will participate in a three-week immersive, experiential program exploring energy, climate and growth issues in an Indian context. Students will begin the program in Delhi with seminars and lectures from experts in energy, climate and sustainable growth as well as cultural excursions before traveling as a group to Ahmedabad, India, where they will experience 2 weeks of classroom curriculum and field-based study in climate and culture at Ahmedabad University. Following this, UChicago students will end the program with a 3-day trek in Delhi with think tanks, NGOs, and companies focused on climate and energy solutions.
This year's cohort — Alexander Malachi Antelman, Yixiao Dai, Thomas Evans, Sebastian Fairbairn, Abbey Figueroa, Zvi Gomez Fisher, Carter Herron, Ramse Jefferson, Najath Mahonaj, Julia Marden, Beckett Nikitas, Aarini Sheth, Mila Shulman, Madison Story, and Navya Vasireddy — arrived in Delhi on 2 July for three days of orientation before leaving for two weeks of experiential learning in Ahmedabad University.
Day 1 — Into the UChicago Ecosystem
Orientation opened with welcome remarks from Swapna Shaw (Deputy Director, UChicago Career Advancement), Dr. Leni Chaudhuri (Executive Director, UChicago Center in Delhi), and Dr. Kaushik Deb (Executive Director, EPIC India), followed by an introduction to the University of Chicago's work in India and a deep dive into EPIC India's ongoing program. Fellows heard directly from team members on the "EPIC Story" and the work being undertaken across the Emissions Markets Accelerator, Methane, and Transport program. The day closed with interactive breakout sessions where fellows engaged directly with program teams, asked questions, and explored research and policy challenges in depth — an energizing start to what lay ahead.
Day 2 — Expert Voices on ESG and the Energy Transition
The second day included an excursion to one of India's leading universities, and brought two rich conversations with practitioners at the forefront of climate and energy policy. In the morning, fellows visited IIT Delhi for an engagement with faculty from the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, a tour of research laboratories, and interactions with graduate students working on leading environmental research. The visit offered a firsthand look at the research ecosystem shaping climate science and policy in India.
The afternoon featured a session with Inderjeet Singh, Partner – Climate Change & Sustainability Strategy at Deloitte India, who walked fellows through the growing landscape of ESG consulting — from transaction due diligence and regulatory compliance to digital reporting platforms and ESG rating agencies. The day concluded with a fireside chat between Andrew Light, Distinguished Fellow and former Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy, and Kaushik Deb, Executive Director of EPIC-India. Their conversation ranged across US energy policy, China's role in clean energy manufacturing, and India's growing potential as a leader in the global energy transition.
Day 3 — The Taj Mahal
Orientation closed on a memorable note with a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra — one of the world's most iconic landmarks. Despite the summer heat, the experience offered fellows a moment of reflection and wonder before the program's more intensive work phase began.
Three days. Fifteen fellows. A summer of meaningful work ahead.
Learn more about the India Summer Fellows Program at climate.uchicago.edu/india-summer-fellows-program.
