Veda Vaidyanathan

Veda Vaidyanathan is a multi-disciplinary researcher who specializes in Asia-Africa interactions. As an Associate at the Harvard University Asia Center and a Visiting Associate Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies in New Delhi, she brings a comparative perspective to her work, often examining Chinese and Indian engagements in the continent. Research projects she designed and led have examined investments in financial services and mining in Zimbabwe, agriculture in Zambia, infrastructure development in Tanzania and Kenya, and pharmaceutical manufacturing in Ethiopia. While working on her Ph.D. at the University of Mumbai, she received the Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi, and the Harvard-Yenching Institute Fellowship and spent a year at Peking University, China, and the Harvard-Yenching Institute. Her analysis and op-eds have been published in The Washington Post, The Hindu, The Diplomat, South African Journal of International Affairs, and findings presented in various global conferences and podcasts, including as part of the Indian delegation to the 17th Russia-India-China (RIC) academic trilateral in Beijing.