About the Fellowship
The Vishvanath Sathe Fellowship is a quarter-long visiting fellowship that places an early-career researcher in mathematics or physics on the Nath Valley School campus. It is designed to help high-school students and teachers renew their engagement with the scientific process and deepen the sense of wonder and curiosity that drives rigorous scientific work—by bringing accomplished researchers into the day-to-day life of a school, not just a university.
Each cycle brings a researcher to campus for three months. The fellow pursues their own research while engaging students and teachers through seminars, mentoring, collaborative projects, and conversations, devoting approximately four hours per week to these interactions.
The fellowship is named for Vishvanath Sathe, an early recruit to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) by Dr Homi Bhabha, remembered for his good-humoured scientific rationalism and lifelong curiosity about the universe.
Eligibility
Fellows are early-career researchers who meet the following criteria:
- Hold a PhD from a leading national or international university
- Have peer-reviewed publications in reputable journals
- Demonstrate enthusiasm for science communication and teaching
Selection Committee
Fellows are selected by a committee of eminent scientists and school leadership:
- Prof. Johannes Berg — University of Cologne
- Prof. Rahul Marathe — IIT Delhi
- Dr Prasanna Bhogale — Nath Valley alumnus
- Mr Ranjit Dass — Director, Nath Valley School
- Dr Nandita Chaturvedi — NCBS; Inaugural Vishvanath Sathe Fellow
- Dr Devendra Kapadia — Wolfram; Vice-Principal, Nath Valley School (1993–1998)
Inaugural Fellow
Trained at St. Stephen's College (BSc), the University of Cologne (MSc), and the University of Pennsylvania (PhD), Dr Chaturvedi works at the intersection of statistical physics, evolutionary biology, and ecology. During her residency, she engaged closely with students and teachers—supporting inquiry-driven learning, guiding project design, and strengthening scientific thinking through sustained conversations and classroom-facing lectures.
Students from 11th and 12th grades presented research projects shaped by her mentorship, including explorations of albedo in managing urban temperature profiles and data-driven estimates of cosmological parameters. Jonathan Joshua received the inaugural Best Student Project Award for his project on the Hubble constant.
Updates
Dr Devendra Kapadia joins the selection committee. Trained at the University of Oxford (MSc) and the University of Pittsburgh (PhD), Dr Kapadia is Manager of Mathematical Computation at Wolfram. He served as Vice-Principal of Nath Valley School from 1993 to 1998.
The inaugural cycle of the Vishvanath Sathe Fellowship concluded with student project presentations on 12 December 2025. Jonathan Joshua was awarded the first Best Student Project Award for his project, "Universe Expansion and the Hubble Constant." Dr Nandita Chaturvedi joins the selection committee for future cycles, continuing her association with the programme. Coverage in Lokmat Times.
Dr Nandita Chaturvedi began her residency as the first Vishvanath Sathe Visiting Fellow at Nath Valley School. During the fellowship, Dr Chaturvedi also delivered talks at the Government College of Engineering and the Department of Physics, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU), extending the programme's reach into Aurangabad's broader academic community.