Testimonials

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  Tarun Keswani

  Institute Pasteur Lille, Centre for Infection and Immunity Lille; Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IPMC), Sophia Antipolis

  I was looking for a Predoctoral fellowship during my Doctoral research in India. In year 2013, CEFIPRA announced first Indo-French Pre-doctoral exchange Program for PhD students from both countries. I started looking for Host labs in France, then I came in contact with Dr. Sylviane Pied who had collaborations (malaria) in India through CEFIPRA, SIGID (DBT-CNRS). But unfortunately I was not selected in the year 2013, but next year (2014) I applied again and got the Prestigious Raman Charpak award 2014. Therefore my Journey to choose France, initially happened due to existing collaborations between France and India(DST, DBT, CNRS, INSERM). I got benefited immensely from various research scholarships. The first one was, Raman Charpak Fellowship 2014 (Dec 2014 to May 2015) where I started loving the French scientific culture and food. I felt huge improvements in my communications skills and thinking ability during my pre doctoral days. Further, I received two Personal Postdoctoral Grants and One Young Scientist award, applied during my initial 6 months stay. In addition I also received Gold Medal from Indian Society for Parasitology, before I was awarded my PhD from India (April 2016). I joined again my host lab Institute Pasteur Lille as a Marie Curie-PRESTIGE postdoctoral fellow in addition to other awards. Those awards helped me to get Senior Postdoctoral researcher position and opportunity to EBOLA vaccines and Immunogenicity (Dr. Fabienne Anjuere). Living in France not only changed my life but also helped me to change others life also. I learned the importance of being lively and focused. Living in France helped me to understand that health is wealth, each and every day in France made me scientifically strong. Though staying in France helped me to travel nearly 25 cities all over Europe. Finally I got the opportunity to work in a reputed institution in New York City due to my stay in French lab at south of France (IPMC, Sophia Antipolis France). My experiences at French Institutions are huge and still I am cherishing those. I am still connected with my French colleagues and we are in verge of publishing several scientific articles. I must say that the experiences I gained due to Indo French scientific collaboration’s helped to nourish my research career

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  Prayag Raj TRIPATHI

  Kedge Business School

  KEDGE BS and France have been a career shaper for me. I would not have got the opportunities elsewhere, I received in France. The inclusive education system, an opportunity to learn about European Business management, chance to learn a new language and integrate with French/European culture, are some of the advantages I consider of studying in France. I strongly recommend Indian students to move out of their comfort zone and take up higher education in France

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  Meet the France Alumni Ambassadors 2021-23

  The Alumni Ambassadorship Programme was conceived for the promotion of quality people-to-people ties between India and France, particularly in education and research.

  15 prominent Alumni of the prestigious France Alumni – India Chapter were inducted into the Alumni Ambassadorship Programme for 2021-23 by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs HE Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, during his official visit to India in April 2021.

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  Pooja Dhingra

  France Alumni Ambassador 2021-2023

  Pooja is a pastry chef and owner of India's first macaroon bakery chain specializing in macaroons, Le 15 Pâtisserie, as well as Studio Fifteen Culinary Centre in Mumbai.

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  Sushil Reddy

  After completing a 5-year integrated program of Mtech in energy systems engineering at IIT Bombay in 2013, Sushil has launched "The SunPedal Ride" initiative

  Sushil moved to Paris in 2017 to pursue an MSc in sustainability and social innovation at HEC Paris, where he also co-founded with his colleagues from HEC The SASI Co - a management consulting agency, with a network of 46 sustainability professionals from 25 countries, that helps SMEs achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (ODD). This year, he is planning a 100-day bicycle trip solar-powered electricity in the United States, for 4 months from July 2021, during which he will cover 120 km per day, and another trip in November and December 2021, during which he will cover more than 6000 km by an electric car in India.

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  Neisha Fernandez

  France Alumni Ambassador - 2021-23

  Neisha started her career in the luxury sector in international marketing for major jewelers in Mumbai for 2 years. She worked as Retail Manager-India at Christian Dior Couture for 5 years and was Couture for 5 years and was responsible for launching the brand's retail operations in India, after which she moved to Paris for her MBA. At HEC, she co-founded the Women in Leadership Club at HEC Paris to inspire women and provide them with a link to post-MBA leadership programs such as the European Professional Women Network (EPWN), HEC au Féminin or the Forte Foundation. After her return to India, she held the position of Country Manager for Promod India and Hermes India for 3 and 4 years respectively, before focusing on more personal projects.

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  Anahitaa Bakshi

  France Alumni Ambassador 2021-23

  Meet Anahitaa Bakshi who did Master in Environmental Policy, Public Health at Sciences Po. Knowledge Manager in Climate Action & WASH at Dalberg since 2018, Anahitaa has worked in the fields of education, natural resource natural resource protection, sustainability, agricultural innovation, and gender gender for organizations such as UNESCO, TERI (The Energy and Research Energy and Research Institute), ICRW (International Centre for Research on Women), to name a few. During her studies at Sciences Po Paris, she joined the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO as an intern. In 2019, she was appointed responsible for the conceptualization and implementation of the South Asian Young Farmers Summit organized by the NGO Krishi Vigyan Kendra. She is a certified Climate Reality Mentor and is a volunteer at SciencesPo Refugee Help. Know more about France Alumni India Chapter: https://www.inde.campusfrance.org/france-alumni-india-chapter

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  Abhimanyu Panwar

  France Alumni Ambassador - 2021-23

  Passionate about water sports, with a gold medal at the national level and silver & bronze medals at the international level in various categories of boats, Abhimanyu is ranked 4th in Asia in the monocoque/J80 (2019-2020). After graduating from the Brest Business School in 2018, he briefly worked in marketing and operations before founding his start-up - Sportifying India in October 2019, for promoting niche sports in India. Outside of his sports ventures, he ventures, he is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Law (2019-2022) at Shri RKLM College in Chittoor Road. He plans to participate in the World Sailing Championship this year. Know more about France Alumni India Chapter: https://www.francealumni.fr/en/position/india/