Appointment of Dr. C. Raja Mohan as Director & Professor of MJIAS

On 21 September 2026, O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) in Sonipat announced the appointment of distinguished foreign‑policy scholar Professor (Dr.) C. Raja Mohan as Director and Professor of the Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies (MJIAS). The press release states that Professor Mohan will work closely with Professor (Dr.) Mohan Kumar, Director General of MJIAS and former Indian Ambassador to France, and Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice‑Chancellor of JGU and President of MJIAS, to advance the institute’s intellectual agenda.

Professor Mohan’s credentials include senior positions at Carnegie India (founding Director), the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, Jawaharlal Nehru University, 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. He has also served on India’s National Security Advisory Board and holds a Master’s in Nuclear Physics and a Ph.D. in International Relations. His notable publications are Crossing the Rubicon, Impossible Allies, Samudra Manthan, Modi’s World, and The New Asian Geopolitics.

The institute was created through the vision and generous endowment of Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani, described as a distinguished philanthropist and venture capitalist. Ms. Motwani’s aim is to strengthen intellectual, educational, technological, and people‑to‑people engagement between India and the United States. Under Professor Mohan’s leadership, MJIAS will pursue a sustained programme of basic and original research, emphasizing three critical vectors shaping the India‑U.S. partnership: defence, technology and energy. Planned outputs include commissioned research papers, policy briefs, essays, and a proposed “Focus on America” research series.

Key initiatives outlined are:

  • Development of post‑doctoral fellowships and mentorship programmes to nurture the next generation of scholars.
  • Launch of “The America Roundtable,” a regular closed‑door forum for scholars, diplomats, policymakers, business leaders, journalists and strategic thinkers.
  • Two major convening events: the annual Motwani India‑US Dialogue in India and the Motwani Forum in the United States, with the first U.S. edition envisaged for 2027.
  • Expansion of the institute’s intellectual network through partnerships with leading global institutions, enhancement of the Annual Rajeev Motwani Lecture, and growth of publications, podcasts and digital engagement.

Board members expressed strong support. Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, praised Professor Mohan as one of India’s most respected thinkers on foreign policy and highlighted the appointment’s significance for MJIAS. Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar called the appointment a defining moment, noting the institute’s ambition to become a world‑class centre producing original knowledge and influencing India‑U.S. strategic dialogue. Professor (Dr.) Mohan Kumar emphasized Professor Mohan’s decades‑long contribution to shaping India’s foreign‑policy discourse and his role in strengthening MJIAS.

Professor Mohan’s own statement expressed enthusiasm for contributing to the next phase of MJIAS, citing the profound transformation of the India‑U.S. relationship and the need for deeper bilateral conversations on trade, energy, defence, science, technology, innovation and education.