Soumya Awasthi

Dr Soumya Awasthi is a Fellow, Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation.

Her work focuses on the intersection of technology and national security.

Dr Soumya Awasthi has previously worked at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in London, the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi, and the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence and Strategic Analysis (MPIDSA) in New Delhi. She was a Fellow with the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) of the US State Department.

Soumya's research interests include key areas in security and strategic studies. Her focus on counterterrorism, de-radicalisation, South Asian strategic studies, Afghanistan, and India's defence and strategic policy.

Soumya holds a Doctorate from the School of International Studies (SIS) at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

A published author, Dr Awasthi has written four books, including:

• Diverse Narratives and Shared Beliefs: Classical to Hybrid Deoband Islam in South Asia (2025),
• Co-editor of India’s Nuclear Titans: Biographical Tales (2023).
• Compendium on Terror Groups (2022), and
• Tracing the Journey of India's Defence Budget and Its Future: An Analysis (2015),