OP Jindal University
Sonipat (Haryana) [India], September 21: O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has appointed distinguished foreign policy scholar, strategic affairs expert and public intellectual Professor (Dr.) C. Raja Mohan as Director & Professor of the Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies (MJIAS).
Professor Raja Mohan is one of India’s most distinguished scholars and commentators on international relations, Indian foreign policy, Asian geopolitics and India–U.S. relations. Over an exceptional academic and public policy career, he has held senior positions at leading universities, think tanks and policy institutions in India, Singapore and the United States. He has served as the founding Director of Carnegie India; Director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore; Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University; and the Henry Alfred Kissinger Chair in International Affairs at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. He has also served on India’s National Security Advisory Board.
Professor Mohan holds a Master’s degree in Nuclear Physics and a Ph.D. in International Relations. His influential books include Crossing the Rubicon: The Shaping of India’s New Foreign Policy, Impossible Allies: Nuclear India, United States and the Global Order, Samudra Manthan: Sino-Indian Rivalry in the Indo-Pacific, Modi’s World: Expanding India’s Sphere of Influence and The New Asian Geopolitics: Military Power and Regional Order. His scholarship has contributed significantly to debates on Indian foreign and security policy, great-power relations, maritime strategy and Asian geopolitics.
As Director of MJIAS, Professor Mohan will work closely with Professor (Dr.) Mohan Kumar, Director General of MJIAS, Dean, Office of the Vice Chancellor, JGU, and former Ambassador of India to France, and Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU and President of MJIAS, to shape the next phase of the Institute’s intellectual and institutional development.
MJIAS was established at JGU through the vision and generous endowment of Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani, distinguished philanthropist and venture capitalist committed to strengthening intellectual, educational, technological and people-to-people engagement between India and the United States. Her vision led to the creation of MJIAS as an institution dedicated to building enduring intellectual bridges between the two countries and advancing understanding of the evolving India–U.S. partnership.
Expressing his enthusiasm about the appointment, Professor (Dr.) C. Raja Mohan said, “I am delighted to take up this appointment and contribute to the next phase of MJIAS. The India–U.S. relationship is undergoing a profound transformation amid new challenges and possibilities in a changing global order. There is a need for deeper bilateral conversations on trade, energy, defence, science, technology, innovation and education. MJIAS has a remarkable opportunity to generate new ideas for the future of this partnership. I look forward to working with Asha Jadeja Motwani, Professor C. Raj Kumar, Professor Mohan Kumar and colleagues in India and the United States to build a vibrant, globally connected centre for research, scholarship and dialogue.”
Welcoming Professor Mohan, Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani, Chairperson of the Board and benefactor of MJIAS, said, “Professor Raja Mohan brings an extraordinary combination of scholarship, strategic insight, intellectual independence and profound understanding of India and the United States. My vision for MJIAS has always been to build bridges of ideas, knowledge, innovation and people between India and America. His leadership gives us an exceptional opportunity to advance that vision and establish MJIAS as a truly global institution.”
Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Co-Chairperson of the Board of MJIAS, said, “I warmly welcome Professor C. Raja Mohan’s appointment. He is one of India’s most respected thinkers on foreign policy, geopolitics and India–U.S. relations, and his intellectual leadership will greatly enrich MJIAS. I commend Asha Jadeja Motwani for her extraordinary philanthropy and vision that made MJIAS possible, and O.P. Jindal Global University for translating that vision into an ambitious global platform for scholarship and dialogue. I look forward to working with Professor Mohan and the Board to build MJIAS as an influential intellectual bridge between India and the United States.”
Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU and President of MJIAS, said, Professor Raja Mohan is one of India’s most distinguished intellectual voices on foreign policy and international relations. His appointment marks a defining moment for MJIAS. The India–U.S. relationship today encompasses defence, technology, energy, trade, innovation, education and global governance. Our ambition is to build MJIAS into a world-class institution producing original knowledge, nurturing future scholars and creating influential platforms for dialogue. Professor Mohan brings the intellectual stature, strategic imagination and global networks to help realise this ambition.”
Professor (Dr.) Mohan Kumar, Director General of MJIAS, Dean, Office of the Vice Chancellor, JGU, and former Ambassador of India to France, said, “Professor Raja Mohan has spent decades studying and shaping the intellectual conversation around India’s foreign policy and the changing global order. His scholarship, experience and understanding of India–U.S. relations will greatly strengthen MJIAS. We look forward to building a rigorous research culture and deepening engagement with scholars, policymakers, diplomats, business leaders and strategic thinkers in India, the United States and around the world.”
Under Professor Mohan’s leadership, MJIAS will pursue a sustained programme of basic and original research, with particular emphasis on three critical vectors shaping the India–U.S. partnership — Defence, Technology and Energy. Its publications will include commissioned research papers, policy briefs, essays and a proposed “Focus on America” research series. Developing the next generation of scholars through postdoctoral fellowships, research opportunities, mentorship and engagement between young researchers from India and the United States will be a central priority.
Professor Mohan will also lead The America Roundtable, a regular closed-door forum bringing together scholars, diplomats, policymakers, business leaders, journalists and strategic thinkers for candid conversations on developments in the United States and their implications for India and the world.
Two major convening initiatives — the annual Motwani India–US Dialogue in India and the Motwani Forum in the United States, whose first edition is envisaged for 2027 — will create a distinctive transnational platform connecting influential voices from both countries. MJIAS will also expand its intellectual network across India, forge partnerships with leading institutions worldwide, strengthen the Annual Rajeev Motwani Lecture, engage distinguished international visitors and enhance its publications, podcasts and digital engagement.
Professor Raja Mohan’s appointment marks an important new chapter for MJIAS and JGU. The ambition is to develop MJIAS not simply as a centre for studying America, but as a globally recognised intellectual institution that advances original scholarship, nurtures future scholars, convenes consequential conversations and builds enduring intellectual and institutional bridges between India and the United States.
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Dr. C. Raja Mohan appointed Director & Professor of Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies at O.P. Jindal Global University
