ICCS Team

Mr. Arun P. Dravid is a Ph.D. scholar under the guidance of Prof. C. Vinodan at the School of International Relations and Politics (SIRP), Mahatma Gandhi University. He also completed his M.A and M. Phil in International Relations and Politics from the same University. Currently, He is working as Honorary Research Fellow & Centre in-charge at ICCS Office. He has completed a One Year Chinese Language Program from Ningxia Medical University, China. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication and Journalism from Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan, Mumbai. His doctoral research is focusing on China’s Soft Power Diplomacy in Africa. He has spent time as a student / researcher in different parts of India.
Mr. Dravid specializes in China and African Studies, China’s international relations and Public Diplomacy, China’s foreign and energy security policies in the Global South. He has presented papers at several national and international seminars and conferences and has addressed several forums on current issues. He was also associated as the joint convenor and coordinator of various International Conferences conducted by School of International Relations, Mahatma Gandhi University.

Recent Articles in Regional Language: https://truecopythink.media/world/how-the-foreign-policy-of-the-second-trump-administration-will-affect-relations-with-india-arun-dravid-writes

https://themalabarjournal.com/post/tmj-outlook-trump-2-china-and-latin-america-through-the-corridors-of-ambiguity-arun-dravid/

https://themalabarjournal.com/post/tmj-outlook-trump-2-0-indian-prospects-and-challenges-arun-dravid-devangana-a

Mr. Harikrishnan C Rag is a research scholar (PhD) who works under the supervision of Prof. Dr. C Vinodan, Director of SIRP. After receiving his MA and MPhil from the School of International Relations and Politics, he is currently carrying out extensive research on major developments, recent trends, and strategic implications of India’s defence policy since 2014. He holds JRF-NFOBC in Political Science.

Areas of specialization:

• Traditional security Studies

• Fire Power Studies

• Indo-US Defence Relation 

• Indian Ocean and China

• Indian and Chinese Military 

• Military Technology 

PhD Scholar engaged under Prof. Dr. C Vinodan.

Awarded UGC NET-JRF 2021 in Defence and Strategic Studies.

Study being undertaken in National Security and Strategic Studies, with specific focus on confluence of traditional and non-traditional national security paradigms.

Areas of interest include military affairs, Defence materiel transfers, civil-military relations and state stability & political security.

Mr. IN Sokhuon is a Ph.D. scholar under the supervision of Prof. C. Vinodan at the School of International Relations and Politics (SIRP), Mahatma Gandhi University. He holds both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Law, and brings over a decade of professional experience in legal advocacy, youth empowerment, and community development across Cambodia, Thailand, and Bangladesh. Currently, he serves as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for Contemporary Chinese Studies (ICCS).

His doctoral research focuses on Indian and Chinese soft power strategies in Southeast Asia, with particular emphasis on diplomacy, cultural relations, aid development, educational exchanges, and infrastructure engagement. He has contributed to academic publications and presented papers at several international conferences.

Mr. Sokhuon’s areas of specialization include Chinese foreign policy, ASEAN regionalism, legal frameworks of international cooperation, and democracy promotion in the Global South. He has been actively involved in organizing and coordinating academic dialogues under ICCS and SIRP. He is also committed to bridging the gap between complex academic research and public understanding through policy-relevant writing and digital media.

Devi Chandana M is a PhD scholar specializing in defence studies and maritime non-traditional security in the Indo-Pacific. She completed her MA in Politics and International Relations at Mahatma Gandhi University.

Her doctoral research examines strategic and non-traditional maritime challenges in the Indo-Pacific, with a focus on India–China relations and the security of island states. Her research interests encompass Maritime Geopolitics, Energy and Indo-Pacific Policy, Climate Diplomacy and Environmental Governance, and Foreign Policy with a particular emphasis on India–China relations. She also studies Regional Security, Migration, and Urban Policy and Sustainability.

She gained practical policy research experience as a Research Intern at the Centre for Legislative Research and Advocacy in New Delhi, where she worked under MP T.N. Prathapan. Her responsibilities included drafting parliamentary questions on railway and cultural affairs, conducting research on Divyangjan (differently-abled) provisions in railway transportation and women’s security in trains, and analyzing MP parliamentary participation.

Her academic training includes certifications in Intellectual Property Rights and a Teaching and Research Aptitude Course from Mahatma Gandhi University, as well as an Introduction to Digital Journalism program through Reuters and the Meta Journalism Project. In 2023, she participated in the Worlding Classrooms virtual international collaboration project organized by Radboud Universiteit and partner institutions. Her policy engagement includes contributing to cultural policy framework development for the Kochi Municipal Corporation.

She has presented her work at various academic forums, including the Online Workshop on South Asian Narratives on the Indo-Pacific organized by the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Studies at Australian National University, where she presented the paper “Belt and Road Initiative in Sri Lanka: India’s Strategic Concerns.” She has also presented at national seminars on migration, coastal governance, and sustainable urban planning. She participated in the ISAS International Conference on South Asia 2022: “75 Years of Partition: Rupture and Connectivity,” hosted by the National University of Singapore.

She has authored the publication “Navigating the Indo-Pacific: Convergences and Divergences in South Korean and Indian Strategies,” an outcome of the Korea Centre Summer Internship Programme. Her broader publications address China’s geopolitical strategies and socio-labour dynamics in Kerala. Beyond maritime security, her research interests extend to urban ecological studies, including ornithological urban planning, soundscape ecology, and sustainable coastal development.

Marcel M. Schwarz is a doctoral candidate at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University. At DCU he works on assessing party politics in modern India and the extension of the
voter base in the case of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). From September to December 2024 he undertook fieldwork in Kerala and was hosted by MG University Kottayam.
He earned his Master’s degree in Modern Indian Studies from Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, with a study-abroad-term at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Indian Studies from Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, having also spent a semester abroad at the Universidad Pública de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.
Prior to commencing his PhD at DCU he worked at the Karl Kübel Stiftung, in Bensheim, Germany in the department of development cooperation.
His areas of research interest are mainly situated at the intersection of party politics, identity politics and voting behaviour, with a special emphasis on contemporary India.

Remya R is a PhD Scholar at the School of International Relations and Politics (SIRP), Mahatma Gandhi University, pursuing her doctoral research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. C. Vinodan. Her research focuses on the evolving dynamics of India–China relations, examining strategic, military, and economic engagements, including border tensions, trade patterns, and initiatives such as the Belt and Road, within the framework of a shifting global order.

She holds a B.Com in Finance from the University of Calicut, an M.A. in Political Science from the Central University of Uttarakhand, and an M.Com in Finance from IGNOU, Delhi. She has also completed a Certificate Diploma in Global Business Management and Policy from the Delhi University, and a Diploma in International Relations from the Oxford Home Study Centre (OHSC). She has qualified UGC NET in Commerce.

Her core areas includes Geopolitics, foreign policy, trade diplomacy, global governance, regional cooperation, and India’s evolving external relations, especially in the South and East Asian context.

She is a Ph.D. scholar under the guidance of Prof.Dr. C. Vinodan at the School of International Relations and Politics (SIRP), Mahatma Gandhi University. She completed her postgraduate studies in MA Politics and Human Rights from Mahatma Gandhi University, securing First Rank, she has presented papers at several national and international seminars, her primary research interests lie in the broad domain of International Relations, with a particular focus on India–China relations. In addition to her core area of specialization, she is also deeply interested in educational developments, especially in understanding how higher education policies, internationalization trends, and knowledge diplomacy shape global academic landscapes and influence bilateral relations between countries.

Ms. Ardra V S completed her M.A. and M.Phil. from Mahatma Gandhi University Kottayam. She was the guest faculty of Christ College Irinjalakkuda and C S.I Law College Kanakkari. Her area of interest is Chinese Studies. She completed her M.Phil. thesis about Regional Ethnic Autonomy in China: Special Reference to Xinjiang Region. Now, she is working on the area of the poverty alleviation process in China and the strategies implemented by China, she is also looking into how poverty-ridden countries, can study the poverty alleviation process in China.

Sohini Mandal is a professional in the field of geopolitical risk and intelligence analysis. She has recently graduated from the Central University of Gujarat with a Master of Arts in Defence and Strategic Studies. Her final thesis examined India-China maritime relations and competition with regards to Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles. She is interested in the military and strategic developments in the Asia Pacific region and works closely to monitor the developments.