Space tech expert Gopalaswamy replaces Shuja Nawaz.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Bharat Gopalaswamy, an Indian American space technology expert who has worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has been named the new director of the South Asian Center, a think tank run by the politically prominent Atlantic Council.
Gopalaswamy, who joined the Council in October 2013 as deputy director of the South Asia Center, replaces Pakistan’s Shuja Nawaz, who was the founding director of the institution.
The Center’s purview is to foster partnerships with key institutions and to establish itself as a forum for dialogue between decision-makers in South Asia, the United States, and Europe.
“Bharath brings an unusual mixture of technical expertise from his engineering background, entrepreneurial skill learned on the job, and the rare capability to deftly navigate both South Asian and Western cultures,” Frederick Kempe, Atlantic Council president and CEO, said, in a statement. “His hiring marks a significant deepening of the Council’s engagement across South Asia, and in particular, in India.”
According to the Atlantic Council’s site, Gopalaswamy has extensive experience with technology related to defense and national security. He also has noted expertise in space security and U.S.-India locations.
Prior to joining the Council, Gopalaswamy managed the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he oversaw and helped develop projects pertaining to South Asian security issues.
He has held research appointments with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and with Cornell University’s Judith Reppy Institute of Peace and Conflict studies, and has also worked with the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) in Germany.