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Four Indian-Americans bag 2026 Rhodes Scholarships
The scholars will pursue fully funded postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 17, Nov 2025
- 15:17 EST
- 18
(Top L-R) Aruna B. Balasubramanian, Shubham Bansal (Bottom L-R) Anil A. S. Cacodcar, Anirvin Puttur / (Top L-R) LinkedIn (Bottom L-R) LinkedIn/ Instagram
Four Indian-American students have received Rhodes Scholarships for 2026 and will begin their postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in October next year.
Aruna B. Balasubramanian, Anil A. S. Cacodcar, Shubham Bansal and Anirvin Puttur were chosen from 965 applicants nominated by institutions across the United States.
Also Read: Four Indian-Americans named 2025 Rhodes Scholars
Balasubramanian, from Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, is a senior at Yale University completing double majors in anthropology and history. Her senior thesis examines how arts-led initiatives in a Japanese fishing village have contributed to rural development.
She is the founder and editor-in-chief of an undergraduate digital humanities journal and works as a trainee and guide at the Yale Center for British Art. At Oxford, she plans to pursue a master of philosophy in global and area studies.
Cacodcar, from Lafayette, Louisiana, is a senior at Harvard University studying economics and human developmental and regenerative biology. His thesis explores local news coverage of fentanyl and its relationship with overdose trends.
Cacodcar chairs the Harvard Public Opinion Project, which produces one of the country’s largest surveys on the political attitudes of young Americans. His previous experience includes work at the Council on Foreign Relations, the Pew Research Center, and Boston Healthcare for the Homeless. He intends to pursue a Master of Philosophy in economics at Oxford.
Bansal, from Mukilteo, Washington, is a senior at the University of Washington majoring in neuroscience and medical anthropology. He founded NARCARE, a nonprofit that trains and deploys certified naloxone instructors and distributes overdose response supplies nationwide.
He serves on the Washington State Department of Health’s Mental Health and Social Justice Committee and has conducted immunology research at the Benaroya Research Institute that links autoimmune disorders to immune responses to SARS-CoV-2. Bansal will study for a Master of Science in health service improvement and evaluation.
Puttur, from Gilbert, Arizona, is a senior at the United States Air Force Academy majoring in aeronautical engineering and applied mathematics. His research with the German Aerospace Center focuses on pitch recovery capabilities of next-generation fighter aircraft.
He is an instructor pilot and flight commander in the 94th Flying Training Squadron and competes at the national level on the academy’s aerobatic demonstration team. Puttur, who speaks four languages and plays multiple instruments, will pursue a Master of Science in engineering science.
The Rhodes Scholarship, established through the will of Cecil Rhodes, is one of the world’s oldest and most competitive postgraduate awards.
It allows students from participating countries to pursue fully funded postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford.
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