Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 9 NATIONAL AFFAIRS January 23, 2026 Candidate For Maine Governor Nirav Shah Secures Indian American PAC’s Support T he Indian American Impact Fund, a leading politi- cal action committee focused on Indian American candidates, announced January 15, 2026, it is endorsing Nirav Shah for Governor of Maine. If elected, Shah would be the first Indian American and person of color elected to Maine’s governorship and would serve as the first Indian American Democratic governor in the United States. To date, two Indian Ameri- can Republicans in the history of this country, have been Governors- Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, and Nikki Haley of South Carolina. Shah has a law degree and medical degree from the University of Chicago, and in 2019, Shah was appointed as the head of the Maine Centers for Disease Control, leading the state through the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. His work provided early PPE for healthcare workers, expansion of testing, and a vaccine rollout that was mod- eled across the country, achieving some of the highest vaccination rates in the country in the fastest times and maintaining one of the lowest death rates in the country, Shah’s biography as well as Impact Fund recounted. In recognition of this work, President Biden named Shah the Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. CDC, the agency’s second-in-command. “Now he brings his leadership and knowledge back to Maine to help his state tackle the growing afford- ability crisis facing Mainers,” the Impact Fund said. The Executive Director of Impact Fund, in a statement, praised Shah’s record saying, “We are proud to endorse Nirav Shah’s candidacy to become the first South Asian Governor of Maine because he is the exact type of leader needed in this moment. He is battle tested and his work guiding Maine through one of the most devastating crises in American history will serve him in fighting the afford- ability crisis facing Mainers by tackling energy costs, increasing affordable housing, lowering healthcare costs, and fueling economic growth.” Shah in his statement, said, I’m honored and humbled by the endorsement of the Indian American Impact Fund. My story and my family’s story, like so many other Mainers’, is rooted in the promise that hard work and ser- vice can make a real difference. Maine trusted me to lead in a moment of crisis, and now I’m committed to bring- ing that same steady, results-driven leadership to tackling affordability, strengthening our communities, and build- ing opportunity for every Mainer. I’m proud to have the support of IMPACT as we take on this work together.” Since its inception in 2016, Indian American Impact Fund has endorsed and supported more than 200 candi- dates across the country, which, it says, has contributed to “the historic rise of Indian and South Asian American representation in politics.” The organization says it has marshaled upwards of $20 million in funds to support candidates, mobilize voters and affect policies. By a StaffWriter PHOTO:@shahforMaine Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, ona Nirav Shah, candidate for the Democratic primary for Governor of Maine. Several Faculty Of Indian-Origin At Brown University, RI, Win Prominent Awards, Distinctions O ver the Fall of 2025, several Indian-origin faculty at the prestigious Brown University in Rhode Island, received promi- nent awards and recognitions. The awards related to their research, service, scholar- ship and leadership, according to a Janu- ary 15, 2026, news release on the Univer- sity’s website brown.edu/news. At least five Brown faculty members of Indian origin, were recognized during the Fall semester (alphabetical order): Professor of Engineering Pradeep Guduru, who was named the recipient of the B.J. Lazan Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics. Guduru will be presented the award at the society’s annual conference in June 2026. He was honored “for pioneering contributions to the mechanics of dynamic failure, electromechanics of batteries and the development of high-speed diagnostics and instrumentation.” Professor of Engineering Nitin Padture got the 2025 Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foun- dation in Germany in recognition of his outstanding research accomplishments in materials science, particularly emerging photovoltaics. Kavita Ramanan, a professor of applied mathematics, was named president of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, a post she will hold until August 2026. The IMS is an international professional and schol- arly society devoted to the development, dissemination and application of statistics and probability. Associate Professor of political science, international and public affairs as well as social and behavioral sciences Prerna Singh, was awarded a Max Planck-Hum- boldt Medal for her research on the de- velopment of welfare states in the Global South. The prize of 80,000 euros aims to help fund her latest research project on vaccination hesitancy. The Aspen Institute named Yashaswini Singh, an assistant professor of health services, policy and practice at the Brown University School of Public Health, a 2025 Aspen Ideas Health Fellow. She was nominated by Arnold Ventures as one of four health care leaders under 40. Singh is recognized for her achievements and her success in translating research into actionable policy. By a StaffWriter PHOTO:engineering.brown.edu PHOTO:Linkedin.com @yashaswini1 PHOTO:home.watson.brown.edu PHOTO:Vivo.brown.edu PHOTO:Brown.edu Professor Pradeep Guduru. Professor Nitin Padture. Professor Kavita Ramanan. Associate Professor Prerna Singh. Assistant Professor Yashaswini Singh.