The Youth IGF India Fellowship 2025 provided a platform for young individuals from diverse academic and professional backgrounds to engage in discussions, learning, and collaboration on issues related to technology, governance, and society.
This page recognises the participants who successfully completed the Fellowship and showcases their backgrounds, interests, and contributions throughout the programme.
Aarav
Aarav Pillai currently works independently on contract roles in data science and fintech, while also developing a magazine in India focused on desi transgender culture and history. His work sits at the intersection of technology, accessibility, and storytelling, with an interest in how media can shift public understanding of issues often framed too narrowly. He previously taught applied creative machine learning at the University of the Arts London where he contributed to a Wellcome Trust-funded AI project on accessible medical communication. He holds an MSc in Data Science and AI for the Creative Industries from UAL. His current research interests include whistleblower protections, community data governance, and the broader role of media in reframing civic participation.
Aastha
Aastha is a technology enthusiast by background, a researcher by profession, and a gender studies learner by passion. With a foundation in computer technologies, she brings an analytical and problem-solving mindset to her work and life, constantly seeking ways to integrate innovation with social impact. Over the years, her professional journey as a researcher has enabled her to engage with diverse projects, explore interdisciplinary questions, and contribute to evidence-based policymaking. At the same time, her deep interest in gender studies drives her to examine how social structures, inequalities, and everyday experiences intersect with fields such as technology, governance, and development.
Abeer
Abeer is an aspiring digital rights lawyer with an interest in content takedown, censorship, internet shutdowns etc. He has previously served as a DIGITAL Fellow at CCG, NLU Delhi alongside publishing research on emerging technologies and their societal impact. Via YIGF, he hopes to learn how tech policy issues differently affect such a diverse cohort. Outside of work, Abeer trains MMA, watches anime, pretends to know how to play the guitar and writes for his blog at sarcastech.in.
Aditi
Aditi is a fourth-year student pursuing an undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communications from BITS Pilani. She is currently working as a research intern at National Aerospace Labs. Her interests span a wide range of subjects, ranging from machine learning and embedded systems to digital policy and strategy consulting. Beyond academics, she loves art, dystopian novels, and adventure sports. Through this fellowship, she hopes to broaden her understanding of digital policy and strive for a human-centric approach to technology.
Alia
Alia is a film & media practitioner and researcher, working at the intersection of gender, class and technology. Her interests lie in digital access, equity and the right to information. She is currently working with Chambal Media to support their mission of digital empowerment through rural journalism. She holds an M.A. in Development Communication from Jamia Millia Islamia. Alia has previously contributed to multimedia & research projects on AI-based content moderation, online cultures, and the use of technology for capacity-building of ASHA workers. She has also previously worked for the digital safety division of the Centre for Social Research, where she contributed to social advocacy campaigns for inclusive tech policies.
Divya
Divya is a PhD Scholar at BITS Pilani, Goa. Her areas of interest include digital media and anthropocene effects in a digital ecosystem.
Liz
Liz is a curious, dedicated learner with early-career experience in editorial work, content marketing, and public engagement. Her interest in using media and advocacy to support positive tech policy interventions drew her toward YIGF India. As a fellow, her goal is to build expertise within the space while exploring questions surrounding internet governance and tech policy.
Preeksha
Preekdha is a journalist and media researcher who specializes in the intersection of media, technology, and society. Through her work, she focuses on various aspects of the digital ecosystem, including misinformation, upcoming technologies such as AI, and journalism. She hopes to work towards people centric policy making in the sectors of her interest.
Shabnam
Shabnam is a researcher and documentary filmmaker exploring how hierarchies of power and technology shape knowledge, visibility, and representation. Her master’s thesis at Central European University (CEU), Vienna, examined how marginalised communities adapt to dominant frameworks of credibility, often at the cost of narrative authenticity. Her work with QueerBase as a legal translator informed this research, reframing asylum testimonies to meet institutional expectations. Building on these concerns, her current focus is the digital sphere, where she investigates how governance frameworks, platform accountability, and the politics of identity shape which narratives are made visible. In her free time, she can be found making lists of experimental film techniques, learning to swim, or sorting her thoughts into Venn diagrams!
Zainab
Zainab Khambaty is an MSc Clinical Psychology student at Christ University, a Research Assistant at Monk Prayogshala, and a Social Justice and Feminist Leadership Fellow at One Future Collective. Her research examines the intersections of psychology, sociology, and tech policy, with a focus on adolescent mental health, child online safety, and digital well-being. She studies how social media architectures and platform governance shape communication, activism, and systemic inequalities, especially in the Global South. Approaching these issues through a decolonial, non-WEIRD lens, she highlights how offline hierarchies are mirrored online. Zainab aims to contribute to culturally responsive policies and inclusive support systems that address digital risks while advancing safer, more equitable, and accountable online environments.
Learn more about the publications, articles, policy briefs, and other knowledge contributions produced by each fellow during the Youth IGF India Fellowship 2025.