Assam Scholar Ayan Sharma Bags Prestigious Mellon/ACLS Fellowship in the US

Ayan Sharma, a promising scholar from Assam, has been awarded the prestigious 'Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship 2025' by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). The fellowship is considered one of the most significant doctoral research grants in the United States in the fields of humanities and social sciences.

Currently pursuing his PhD at the University of Virginia, Sharma’s research delves into the environmental and economic transformations that shaped South Asia and the Bay of Bengal region during the first half of the twentieth century. His work seeks to explore the previously unexamined intersections between politics, economy, and environment in postcolonial Asia.

The fellowship includes a financial grant of $52,000 USD for a year-long research project.

An alumnus of Assam Jatiya Vidyalaya, Guwahati, Sharma completed his high school education in Assamese medium in 2011. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Hindu College and a master’s degree in history from Ambedkar University, Delhi. In 2022, he was selected for a fully funded six-year PhD programme at the University of Virginia.

Ayan Sharma is the younger son of Dr. Narayan Sharma, a noted paediatrician and secretary of Assam Jatiya Vidyalaya, and Meghali Sharma. The family resides in New Guwahati, Guwahati.