Graduate Research Development Assistantship/Internship

Between 2022 and 2025, the LAS Research Development Office provided a unique opportunity for advanced PhD students to gain valuable understanding of the external funding landscape and to explore the research-adjacent career opportunities in the research development field. The 50% FTE position worked closely with the Assistant Director of Faculty Research Activities to support all functions and services of the Research Development Office, from assisting with proposal preparation to maintaining this website. We are grateful for the substantial contributions the graduate interns made to our work.

Past Research Development Interns

Seated headshot of brown Indian person wearing a black collared blazer over a yellow v-neck top. The person has their fingers interlaced and resting on the armrest of a black leather couch and are smiling at the camera.

(2022-23) Aditi Aggarwal, PhD (she/her) is a qualitative researcher, educator. She has experience with writing grants for federal and private funding and has won the prestigious Junior Fellowship by the American Institute of Indian Studies that funded her ethnographic fieldwork in India in 2021.  Aditi has over ten years of experience in designing and managing long-term research projects, producing content for diverse audiences, securing funding from international organizations, and mentoring students for academic and professional success. She is committed to making her work places and classrooms more accessible, inclusive, and responsive to the varied needs of her peers and community members.

Close up head shot of brown woman with black round-rectangular rimmed glasses, braided hair to the side, wearing a blue and white floral shirt smiling into the camera

(2023-24) Ajapa Sharma (she/her) is a researcher and educator in the field of global history. She is a Ph.D. student (ABD) in the Department of History at UIC. She has extensive experience in multi-sited archival research. Ajapa has written grants, and designed research projects for academic institutions and development programs in South Asia and the US. In the last ten years, she has worked on several long-term projects funded by American Institute for Indian Studies, USAID, British Council, Open Society Foundations, and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Ajapa is committed to helping build inclusive classrooms and educational instuitions that are responsive to the needs of students, educators, researchers, and the wider community. Email: ashar21@uic.edu

Image of a South Asian woman in a white dress with black stripes and a blue denim jacket, smiling at the camera.

(2024-25) Nirupama Jayaraman (she/her) is an urban researcher, educator and a doctoral candidate at the Department of Anthropology, UIC. She has successfully applied for multiple individual research grants including an NSF REG grant, and has also been waitlisted for the AIIS Junior Fellowship. Nirupama has designed and executed multiple research projects for various organizations such as the Brookings Institution India Center, 100 Resilient Cities, and Urban Design Collective (in conjunction with GIZ Gmbh). Email: njayar5@uic.edu