The Padma Desai Grants in Russia has been discontinued. These grants, supported by the Padma Desai Fund, are meant to support Middlebury undergraduate students who wish to conduct an internship or research in Russia as part of their Middlebury College experience.

Call for Proposals

The Fund will provide for expenses related to the internship or independent research in Russia, such as transportation, lodging, and costs associated specifically with the internship or research project. Students awarded grants from the Fund will be known as Padma Desai Scholars and will be required to submit a report at the conclusion of the internship or independent research abroad.

In consultation with a Middlebury College faculty mentor, students should develop proposals for an internship or independent research to take place in Russia either during or immediately following study abroad in Russia. The grants are not meant to fund credit-bearing overseas research. Depending on the specifics of the proposed project, grants will range between $1000 and $2800. Students should specify the internship/research costs that will be funded by the grant. Where relevant, projects will also need to be reviewed by the College’s Institutional Review Board.

Faculty should indicate that they have agreed to work with a designated student who will be studying abroad.

Deadlines

March 31: Deadline for proposals from students who will be studying in Russia during the current spring semester or the upcoming academic year and wish to conduct an internship or research in Russia during study abroad and/or immediately after.  

Deadline for a letter of support from the faculty member endorsing a student’s proposal, including information about their role in overseeing the research or internship.

October 17: Deadline for proposals from students who will be studying in Russia during the current  academic year and wish to conduct an internship or research in Russia during study abroad or immediately after.  

Deadline for a letter of support from the faculty member endorsing a student’s proposal, including information about their role in overseeing the research or internship.

Students should submit proposals and faculty should submit letters of support to the Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs at rcga@middlebury.edu.

PADMA DESAI GRANT/INTERNSHIP PROPOSAL FORM

Contact

Charlotte Tate

Associate Director

Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs

Robert A. Jones ‘59 House 114

Middlebury College

802-443-5795

tate@middlebury.edu

Padma Desai Research Grant Recipients

Julian Gonzalez-Poirier ‘23: “Understanding International Sanction Impact on Russia through the Lens of Labor”

Helene Gusman ‘21: “Je ne Parle pas Russe: The study of Russian cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa in the 21st Century”

Toni Cross ’18: “A Tale of Two Ethnic Groups: The Legacies of Colonialism, Communism, Imperialism and Nationalism in the Construction of Moroccan Amazigh and Russian Volga Tatar Identities”

Matthew Floyd ’17.5: “The Use of Georgian Domestic Hydropower to Offset Energy Dependence on Imported Russian Oil”

Brenna Christensen ’17: “Madness in Post-Soviet Spaces: How Politics, Policy, and People Shape Functionality in Russia and Estonia”