The Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies (MJIAS) is envisioned as a premier interdisciplinary institute at O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), dedicated to advancing scholarly research , education , dialogue , and policy engagement on the United States of America.

Envisioning MJIAS

First Meeting with Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani

On April 20, 2025, at The Imperial Hotel, New Delhi, Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani met with Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, and Deans and senior faculty members of O.P. Jindal Global University, to engage in a meaningful conversation envisioning the mission and future of the Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies (MJIAS).

About MJIAS

The Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies (MJIAS) is envisioned as a premier interdisciplinary institute at O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU), dedicated to advancing scholarly research, education, dialogue, and policy engagement on the United States of America (USA). The Institute is made possible through a generous grant from the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation, in honor of the late Professor Rajeev Motwani, whose contributions to technology, entrepreneurship, and scholarship continue to inspire generations.

This Institute reflects the visionary philanthropy of Ms. Asha Jadeja, whose leadership in empowering academic institutions, civic engagement, and cross‑border collaborations has been instrumental in shaping intellectual landscapes globally.

She is a globally respected philanthropist, venture capitalist, and social innovator. Asha Jadeja has dedicated her life to empowering entrepreneurs, supporting grassroots movements, and fostering democratic values. Her foundation has played a pivotal role in building bridges between India and the USA by investing in innovation, market‑based solutions, education, and the arts across both countries.

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Her commitment to open knowledge systems, women’s leadership, and civic engagement has led to transformational change. The MJIAS embodies her vision to create lasting institutions that promote dialogue, collaboration, and mutual understanding between India and the United States.

In a world marked by geopolitical shifts, economic interdependence, technological disruption, and sociopolitical challenges, the need for a robust and nuanced understanding of the USA — as a global power and a key partner to India — is more critical than ever. The MJIAS seeks to fulfill this need by serving as a unique platform for research, dialogue, and collaboration between India, the USA, and the world.

“In addition to being a brilliant computer scientist, Rajeev was a very kind and amicable person and his door was always open. No matter what was going on with my life or work, I could always stop by his office for an interesting conversation and a friendly smile. Even though I was just one of hundreds of graduate students in the department, he always made the time and effort to help. Later, when Larry and I began to work together on the research that would lead to Google, Rajeev was there to support us and guide us through challenges, both technical and organisational.”

SERGEY BRIN- Co-founder, Google

About Rajeev Motwani

Rajeev Motwani (March 26, 1962 – June 5, 2009) was a professor of Computer Science at Stanford University whose research focused on theoretical computer science. He was an early advisor and supporter of companies, including Google and PayPal, and a special advisor to Sequoia Capital. Rajeev was born in Jammu and grew up in New Delhi. As a child, inspired by luminaries like Carl Friedrich Gauss, he wanted to become a mathematician. Motwani went to St Columba’s School, New Delhi. He completed his B.Tech in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1983 and got his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988 under the supervision of Richard M. Karp.

Rajeev joined Stanford soon after U.C. Berkeley. He founded the Mining Data at Stanford project (MIDAS), an umbrella organization for several groups looking into new and innovative data management concepts. His research included data privacy, web search, robotics, and computational drug design. He is also one of the originators of the Locality‑sensitive hashing algorithm.

Rajeev was one of the co‑authors (with Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Terry Winograd) of an influential early paper on the PageRank algorithm. He also co‑authored another seminal search paper What Can You Do With A Web In Your Pocket with those same authors. PageRank was the basis for search techniques of Google (founded by Page and Brin), and Motwani advised or taught many of Google’s developers and researchers, including the first employee, Craig Silverstein. Rajeev was an author of two widely used theoretical computer science textbooks꞉ Randomized Algorithms with Prabhakar Raghavan and Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation with John Hopcroft and Jeffrey Ullman.

About Rajeev Motwani

About Rajeev Motwani

Rajeev Motwani (March 26, 1962 – June 5, 2009) was a professor of Computer Science at Stanford University whose research focused on theoretical computer science. He was an early advisor and supporter of companies, including Google and PayPal, and a special advisor to Sequoia Capital. Rajeev was born in Jammu and grew up in New Delhi. As a child, inspired by luminaries like Carl Friedrich Gauss, he wanted to become a mathematician. Motwani went to St Columba’s School, New Delhi. He completed his B.Tech in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1983 and got his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988 under the supervision of Richard M. Karp.

Rajeev joined Stanford soon after U.C. Berkeley. He founded the Mining Data at Stanford project (MIDAS), an umbrella organization for several groups looking into new and innovative data management concepts. His research included data privacy, web search, robotics, and computational drug design. He is also one of the originators of the Locality‑sensitive hashing algorithm.

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Rajeev was an avid angel investor and helped fund a number of startups to emerge from Stanford. He sat on boards including Google, Kaboodle, Mimosa Systems (acquired by Iron Mountain Incorporated), Adchemy, Baynote, Vuclip, NeoPath Networks (acquired by Cisco Systems in 2007), Tapulous and Stanford Student Enterprises. He was active in the Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students (BASES).

Rajeev was a winner of the Gödel Prize in 2001 for his work on the PCP theorem and its applications to hardness of approximation. Rajeev served on the editorial boards of SIAM Journal on Computing, Journal of Computer and System Sciences, ACM Transactions on Knowledge Discovery from Data, and IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering.

RAJEEV MOTWANI
(March 26, 1962 – June 5, 2009)

Vision

The Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies aspires to be a globally recognized centre of excellence that fosters interdisciplinary scholarship, informed dialogue, and impactful engagement on the United States of America, while promoting stronger India‑US relations and contributing to global conversations on pressing challenges.

Mission

  • To promote comprehensive research and teaching on the United States in all its dimensions – political, economic, social, cultural, historical, legal, and technological.
  • To foster academic, policy, and public dialogues on global issues where the US plays a significant role.
  • To build bridges between academia, industry, civil society, and governments of India and the United States.
  • To facilitate interdisciplinary collaborations and strengthen India‑US scholarly and diplomatic relations.
  • To honor the legacy of Rajeev Motwani and advance Asha Jadeja’s vision of knowledge driven philanthropy and international cooperation.

The Need & Importance of Establishing MJIAS

The establishment of the MJIAS is timely and significant due to several global and regional factors.

Geopolitical Shifts

As global power dynamics evolve and new challenges arise to threaten American and Indian interests, understanding and appreciating US foreign policy, governance, and leadership at a deeper level is critical for sustaining strategic partnerships and navigating international transitions.

India-US Strategic Partnership

With defense, technology, geopolitical coordination and education as the key pillars, the India‑US relationship is booming and is going to be a defining feature of the 21st‑century global order.

Technology and Innovation

As a leader in technology and innovation, the US continues to shape global digital futures, but the rise of alternative authoritarian power centres poses many challenges. MJIAS will study the impacts of technological shifts and facilitate new ideas for India‑US tech collaborations, with an emphasis on trust and shared values, which should be the basis on which the world’s largest and oldest democracies should join hands.

Global Challenges

Global challenges such as uncontrolled migration patterns, imbalances in international trade, transnational drug smuggling and organised criminal syndicates, and iniquitous defence spending and burden‑sharing for maintaining international security require deeper study and joint responses by the US and India.

Academic Exchanges for Core National Interests

Strengthening academic ties between India and the US on issues that foster deeper bilateral convergence and mutually beneficial partnerships is essential for long‑term understanding and cooperation. MJIAS will focus on cutting‑edge scholarship in areas that cater to the fundamental national interests of the US and India and which will strengthen the spirit of nationalism and patriotism and offer pathways to combine the might of the two countries into a powerful force for good in the world.

Objectives of the Institute

To undertake high quality teaching and learning as well as cutting‑edge research spanning American politics, foreign policy, economics, law, history, society, and culture, shaping a whole generation of students and creating scholarly outputs to deepen global understanding of the US and empathy for the US’ priorities. The taught courses and research projects of MJIAS will challenge old stereotypes about the US and seed fresh thinking about what the US stands for and why it has been a colossus in the world for so long.

To foster sustained collaborations between Indian and American scholars, universities, and think tanks through joint research projects, exchange programs, and visiting fellowships that enable intellectual output to shape public opinion and advance Indian and American national interests.

To serve as a platform for policymakers, diplomats, business leaders, political parties and civil society organisations to engage in meaningful dialogues on the US’ role in global affairs and its relationship with India and Asia in the context of the pivotal importance of the Indo‑Pacific region for global balance of power.

To organize student exchange initiatives, alumni networks and interactions between the Indian diaspora in the US, their professional bodies and associations on one hand, and Indian academia and think tanks on the other, so that such engagements strengthen the ‘living bridges’ and promote mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation between India and the US.

To examine US leadership in innovation and technology, especially Silicon Valley’s ecosystem, and to explore synergies with India’s startup and digital economy with an aim of informing policymaking to advance strategic hi‑tech collaborations such as the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technology (ICET) and the India‑U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS‑X).

To study the US’ changing role in shaping international norms and its contributions to combat major threats to regional and global security, and to positively appraise the role of the US in bringing about transformative shifts around the world.

To promote comparative legal research and teaching on the US Constitution, Supreme Court jurisprudence, and federal governance structures.

To develop an extensive repository of research papers, policy briefs, data sets, and learning resources on American studies accessible to scholars, students, and practitioners.

To host annual international conferences, distinguished public lectures, workshops, and seminars that create avenues for global knowledge exchange on American studies and counter negative stereotypes about the US, its domestic politics and foreign policy.

To nurture students, researchers, and professionals committed to India‑US relations and global leadership through fellowships, scholarships, and mentorship programs that further thought and ideas reflecting the core civilizational values that each country stands for.

Key Initiatives & Activities

A signature event featuring globally renowned scholars, innovators, and thought leaders reflecting on US‑related themes and Rajeev Motwani’s legacy.

Collaborative fellowships for Indian and American scholars to undertake in‑depth research projects on themes of mutual interest.

A unique interdisciplinary postgraduate degree open to Indian and international students covering all aspects of the US’ past, present and future.

A global platform convening academics, diplomats, business leaders, and civil society to chart pathways for the future of India‑US relations in a world marked by conflicts and geopolitical competition.

A high‑level roundtable of diplomats, government officials and experts to discuss potential and groundbreaking ideas and receive comments, which would become inputs for risk assessments, and scenario mapping.

A dedicated unit studying and promoting US leadership in Artificial Intelligence, digital governance, cybersecurity, and startup ecosystems, and how India and other countries can partner with the US in these cutting‑edge fields.

A platform to help overcome policy paralysis, provide policy inputs and assist in implementing policies that further market‑based solutions in India by drawing upon examples from the US.

A platform for youth mobility, interaction, and networking of young people from India and the US about shared interests and aspirations in fields like democratic values, business and innovation.

Multi‑stakeholder engagement on big global problems like immigration, drugs, crime, trade, geopolitical threats, regional peace and security, where US leadership and Indian engagement are crucial.

Joint activities and events to develop mutual respect between Indians and Americans, including the Indian diaspora in the US, which ultimately will lead to greater empathy, shared understandings, and friendships.

Publication of a flagship biennial journal titled Indian Review of American Studies; a Rajeev Motwani Working Paper Series on Technology, Law, and Policy; an Yearbook on the India‑US Strategic Partnership; and proceedings of annual conferences.

Governance & Leadership

The MJIAS will have a Board of Advisors comprising distinguished leaders from public life, academia, diplomacy, business, and civil society from both the US and India.

The Institute will operate under the leadership of a Director General, supported by Additional Directors, Joint Directors, Deputy Directors, Associate Directors, and Assistant Directors, as well as Research Fellows, professors, and administrative staff.

Networks and Collaborations

The MJIAS will forge strategic collaborations with premier universities, think tanks, policy institutes, and international organizations in the US and globally to advance its objectives. JGU already has academic collaborations with several leading American universities, which the MJIAS will leverage and expand. These partnerships provide a strong foundation for faculty and student exchanges, joint research, and collaborative programs under the aegis of MJIAS.

Some of the notable existing partnerships are as follows꞉

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

DUKE UNIVERSITY

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

HARVARD UNIVERSITY

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

PACE UNIVERSITY

SEATTLE UNIVERSITY

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

TUFTS UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, DALLAS

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY

YALE UNIVERSITY

Five‑Year Strategic Roadmap & Plan of Action

Years 1‑2 (2025 to 2027)

  • Establish governance structures, academic council, and advisory board.
  • Integrate elective courses on the US into degree programmes of different Schools of JGU.
  • Launch the online M.A. degree in American Studies and admit students into the first cohort.
  • Launch the Rajeev Motwani Memorial Lecture.
  • Commence the Motwani Jadeja Fellowship Program, joint research projects and policy dialogues.
  • Organize the first edition of the Annual Conference on the India‑US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
  • Conduct the inaugural India‑US Policy Consultation Forum.

Years 3‑4 (2027 to 2029)

  • Expand student and faculty exchanges with US universities.
  • Develop digital platforms, knowledge repositories and resource hubs.
  • Implement the India‑US Youth Forum and the Global Challenges Forum.

Year 5 (2030)

  • Scale up bilateral collaborations and multidisciplinary research projects.
  • Evaluate impact and publish a comprehensive report.
  • Establish more permanent chairs, professorships, and research clusters

Governance Structure

Ms. Asha Jadeja Motwani

Founder, Motwani Jadeja Foundation - CHAIRPERSON

Dr. Shashi Tharoor

Member of Parliament Lok Sabha, India - CHAIRPERSON

Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar

President, MJIAS - Academic Governance

Professor (Dr.) Mohan Kumar

Director General, MJIAS - Academic Governance

Professor (Dr.) Sriparna Pathak

Associate Director, MJIAS - Academic Governance

Professor Ram B. Ramachandran

Associate Director, MJIAS - Academic Governance

Professor (Dr.) Gitanjali Sinha Roy

Assistant Director, MJIAS - Academic Governance

Professor (Dr.) Swati Chawla

Assistant Director, MJIAS - Academic Governance