The Global Politics course at the School of Conflict and Security Studies in the National Institute of Advanced Studies offers internships for students and young scholars pursuing Masters, MPhil and Ph.D. The course encourages young scholars to identify, explore and work on a range of relevant and potential areas of research.
As a part of the research activities, the Course offers internships under three categories: Short-term (8-12 weeks), Long-term (3 months) and a Summer course.
The Focus Areas
1. Conflict Peripheries in South Asia: J&K, Balochistan, Northeast India, FATA, Terai and North-east Sri Lanka
2. Peace Research: Contemporary Peace Processes in Nepal, India, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka
3. Contemporary World Affairs: Big Power Politics, Rise of China, Geo-economics, Maritime Security and Indo Pacific
4. Pakistan: Internal Politics, Security, Economy, CPEC and External Relations
5. Science Diplomacy: Blue Economy, Emergence of the Arctic, Outer Space, Cyber Security, and Artificial Intelligence
What to expect?
During the internship, the students will be undertaking the following:
How to apply?
To apply, please send an updated CV to globalpolitics@nias.res.in along with a cover letter and a reference letter.
The reference letter should be sent directly to Prof D Suba Chandran (subachandran@gmail.com).
The cover letter along with your CV should include:
Accommodation and Stipend
NIAS has a limited facility for accommodation, which is currently full of regular Ph.D. scholars. However, there are numerous Paying Guest accommodation facilities closer to the Institute. Unfortunately, there is no stipend available. The internship is unpaid. Scholars are expected to take care of their travel and accommodation.
Course Alumni
She can be contacted at lakshmimenon0410@gmail.com
She can be contacted at oisheemajumdar@gmail.com
She can be reached at seethadinesh2807@gmail.com.
He can be contacted at ryanmitra17@gmail.com.
He wishes to pursue a career in International Law. He can be contacted at jerringeorg@gmail.com
He can be reached at: mahathandmangal@gmail.com
She can be reached at raakhaveeramesh@gmail.com
She can be reached at: titsala.anar@gmail.com
He can be contacted at parikshithpradeep@yahoo.com.
He can be reached at vijay.maidergi@gmail.com.
He can be contacted at lakastro@gmail.com.
She can be contacted at harinisha.vaish@gmail.com
She can be contacted at arrit33@gmail.com
Rishma Banerjee is a Research Assistant in the Science, Technology, and International Relations Programme under the School of Conflict and Security Studies at the NIAS. She works in the KAS-NIAS Europe Studies Programme under the Area Studies initiative. Her research interest is in the geopolitical developments in Eastern Europe.
Rishma has been tracing the war in Ukraine on a daily basis and has written about the French presidential elections and the heatwaves in Europe.
“NIAS was a different internship experience altogether very distinctive from my other internships. NIAS provided me with exposure not only at the national level but it gave me opportunity to interact with many scholars and dignitaries at international level as well. Prof Suba Chandran is a tough task master and he leaves no stones unturned in ensuring that the scholars as well as the interns get ample exposure during their time. The interns are treated very much as a part of the team. I was provided with ample important and interesting works and projects during my time. The whole team under Prof Suba was very proactive as well as supportive and hard working. " | ||
![]() | Yashaskar Shubham IVth Year Law Student National University of Study and Research in law, Ranchi |
“NIAS presents a very unique opportunity to those who wish to intern there. I was fortunate to have interned under Prof Suba. It has active environment of research scholars and they are helpful and interactive. During my 4 weeks, on several occasions opportunity was provided to meet and interact with eminent persons and scholars from around the world. Prof Suba’s engagement with scholars is inspiring, his discussions, interactive sessions, presentations and talks taught me a lot more about global politics."
“My engagement with NIAS has helped me become an active stakeholder in think tanks, academia and policymaking circles. The global politics course has been an enriching one, helping me fine-tune contemporary skills. Discussions, lectures, events and associated outreach activities were an immense exposure to geopolitics, resourceful scholars and distinguished personalities. Active participation in various projects has given me practical insights.
Under the course, I was opportune enough to have worked on big powers, India's foreign policy, peace research, public policy, protests and critical subjects such as climate change and militarisation covering geographies.
Additionally, the course helps one develop professionalism with a personal touch. On a concluding note, it was a productive experience under the guidance of Professor D Suba Chandran and the team."
“I got a chance to interact with luminaries from various bureaucracies and various research scientists. The work environment was super warm and Dr Suba along with his team was extremely forthcoming in making sure that I make the most of my stay at NIAS. I had the opportunity to do research in extremely interesting areas such as the "conflicts in the Arctic". I learned the internetting of law and politics. I understood how international relations and international law are interdisciplinary."
"Internship at NIAS has turned out to be more exhilarating one so far, I got to interact with many national and international dignitaries. Which really helped me shaping my ideas in a better cohesive way and opened many opportunity windows for me. The people and work at NIAS will always keep you on your toes, but you'll always be helped if you find yourself in any strading position"
![]() | Abhishruth Singh National University of Study and Research in law, Ranchi |
"I interned at NIAS during summers in 2018 for about 6 weeks. I had absolutely no idea about my role there but once I started out it was a new experience everyday. I got to know more about contemporary politics along with history from a different point of view. And writing commentaries only helped me gain more from the subject."
![]() | Siddathi Mehta Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University(PDPU) |
"The internship was a unique opportunity in exploring, learning and networking. Engaging in constructive debate on issues of international significance helped us gain fresh insight into and explore differing perspectives of political opinion. We were always encouraged to go beyond the day's headlines, question and develop our own political standpoint."
![]() | Samreen Wani Stella Maris College |
"My internship at NIAS started in the month of January and was for a period of one month. I was mostly given the task of research work on the current events as well as future projects. The best part was the fact that I was exposed to so many recent events and that helped me given me a path to work on"
![]() | Kriti National University of Study and Research in law, Ranchi |
"The six weeks internship gave me a clearer idea about my areas of interest and contemporary politics. The weekly discussions and presentations gave a completely new perspective about so many things. On the whole, with an atmosphere open to new ideas, it was a really good experience for me and helped craft a new edge in the way I look at things."
![]() | Apoorva Sudhakar MA International Studies, Stella Maris College |