JOIN USIvy League Yale University has selected 16 World Fellows for 2013, including two from India, bringing the total number of fellows from India to 13 since the programme started in 2002.
India has had more fellows in the programme than any of the 81 countries represented in Yale's signature global leadership development initiative, the New Haven (Connecticut) based university announced Thursday.
The 2013 fellows from India are Prodyut Bora and Abhik Sen.
Bora is state general secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam. Prior to this, Bora served as the national convener of BJP's information technology cell and as a member of its national media cell. He directed a private software company for six years before entering politics full-time.
Sen, managing editor of The Economist Group in London, leads research and analysis on a range of issues influencing public policy, economic development and business across the world.
Previously, he was an editor at Bloomberg. Sen has also worked as a journalist in Asia and headed the international operations of one of India's leading media organizations. He is a trustee on the boards of two British charities active in the education and arts sectors.
From August to December, the 2013 World Fellows, drawn from a group of exemplary mid-career professionals from a wide range of fields and countries, will participate in a specially designed intensive academic enrichment and leadership training programme.
This year's World Fellows include a Nigerian oil sector transparency advocate; a ground-breaking documentary film maker from the Netherlands; a diplomat serving as Egypt's representative to the Syrian opposition; and an innovative venture capitalist and tech entrepreneur from South Korea.
"The Yale World Fellows Programme consistently attracts outstanding talent," said programme director Michael Cappello, professor of paediatrics at Yale School of Medicine.
"The sixteen individuals selected this year are each poised to become even more effective change-makers in their societies and around the world. This unique leadership training opportunity will no doubt inspire their many future contributions to the global community," he said.
Previous Yale World Fellows from India included: Unmesh Brahme, India Country Director, Room to Read; Subhashini Chandran, CEO, Woodbriar Group; Ayush Chauhan, managing firector, Quicksand; Celine D'Cruz, coordinator, Slum Dwellers International; Paromita Goswami, founder, Elgar Pratishthan and Shramik Elgar; Monika Halan, editor, Mint Money; Sonali Kochhar, clinical research and drug development specialist, PATH; Nachiket Mor, director, Board of IKP Centre for Technologies; Chetna Gala Sinha, chair, Mann Deshi Mahila Group; Amit Wanchoo, managing director, Eaton Laboratories and Ruchi Yadav, senior programme officer, The Hunger Project.