Dr Soumya Awasthi, a Consultant with the Expert Group, Centre on Armed Group, Geneva has previously worked with reputed organisations like the Tony Blair Institute, Vivekananda International Foundation and Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence and Strategic Analyses in New Delhi. Her expertise spans counterterrorism, deradicalisation, South Asian strategic studies, Afghanistan and India's defence and strategic policy. She holds a doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University, focusing on the role of Religious Discourse in Regional Geopolitics, with a case study on Deoband Philosophy in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Her MPhil from Savitribai Phule University analysed India's Defence Budget Trends (1947-2015). Dr Awasthi's significant works include "Compendium on Terror Groups" (2022) and "Tracing Journey of India’s Defence Budget: An Analysis" (2015). Her co-edited book, "India’s Nuclear Titans Biographical Tales," has received accolades from diplomats and the scientific community for its exemplary contribution to the discourse on Nuclear Studies from a historical perspective. She contributes regularly to the Jamestown Foundation, Hindustan Times and Observer Research Foundation.
