ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Caltech alumna Sukhada Fadnavis establishes research fellowship to honor her parents
Caltech’s International Student Programs had helped Fadnavis transition from life in India to college in California, starting with a two-week orientation before the start of classes
-
1747754650.png)
Ishani Duttagupta - Fri, 19, Jun 2026
- 04:23 EDT
- 27
Sukhada Fadnavis with her parents. / Courtesy photo
Sukhada Fadnavis, who went to the U.S. from Pune for a BS degree at California’s prestigious Caltech university in 2007, has established an endowed Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) at her alma mater, according to an article shared on a Caltech initiative for students.
Now a senior software engineer working in data science and machine learning at YouTube (Google), Fadnavis created the fellowship ahead of her upcoming 20th graduation anniversary to afford future students the same opportunities to explore and succeed, as she had received.
Named in honor of her parents, Shubhangi and Sharad Fadnavis, the fund celebrates and enshrines their legacy of intellectual generosity and encouragement.
Caltech’s International Student Programs had helped Fadnavis transition from life in India to college in California, starting with a two-week orientation before the start of classes. That included an introduction to culture in the United States and at Caltech, while also getting to know other international students.
“I feel incredibly lucky that I got the chance to study at Caltech and benefit from its unique programs like SURF, which is one of Caltech’s most distinctive programs, giving undergraduates the opportunity to spend a summer conducting original research and making real contributions to their fields. If you know an undergraduate who might enjoy a fun and intellectually challenging research experience, they should definitely check out SURF,” Fadnavis said in a social media post. “Super grateful to be able to honor my parents while supporting future generations of curious minds through this fellowship.” And she has now chosen to endow a SURF program based on her experiences completing two of the summer research fellowships in Caltech’s math department.
After earning a BS in mathematics from Caltech, Fadnavis received a PhD from Stanford University and then taught at Harvard University. Later, she transitioned to the tech industry with a job at YouTube. She also spent a year helping a friend with a startup that promoted Indian artists.
According to the Caltech initiative for students feature, Fadnavis shared that she loves knowing her daughter and nieces will remember her parents through a legacy rooted in knowledge, research and societal impact.
Reflecting on her own time in the program, Fadnavis recalled the freedom and focus it provided. “It was great spending 10 weeks outside the rigid structure of classes and homework, truly exploring a problem through research,” she said. “SURF gives students a taste of an academic or research career path. It’s also one of the first chances they get to make real contributions rather than simply completing assignments. The professors gave us research problems that were open-ended and challenging, yet entirely approachable for undergraduates.”
Looking ahead, she added, “We look forward to learning about the SURF projects supported through this fellowship for many years to come.”
Discover more at New India Abroad.
Related
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login