Grantee

Swosti Rajbhandari Kayastha is a passionate advocate for the preservation and promotion of Nepali Cultural Heritage. With a profound dedication to art, culture, exhibition curation, and museum education, she brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to her work. Currently serving as the Curator and PR Officer at the Nepal Art Council, Swosti has curated numerous art exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Additionally, as a recently appointed Board member of Patan Museum, she continues to shape the narrative of Nepali heritage through her involvement in key institutions.

Beyond her curatorial roles, Swosti shares her passion for Nepali Art & Culture by teaching at institutions both at home and abroad. Holding an MA in Nepalese History, Culture, and Archaeology from Tribhuvan University, and a second MA in Museum and Gallery Practice from University College London, her expertise extends to consultancy work, where she has crafted concept documents for various museums. Her dedication to research and writing is evident through her articles and research papers, which are published in esteemed publications, including International Council of Museums (ICOM) publications and other renowned outlets in Nepal.

As a Fulbright Visiting Scholar for the academic year 2024-25, Swosti will be hosted by the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. During her tenure, she plans to explore the vibrant Nepali diaspora community in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a particular focus on Nepali diaspora artists.

Dr. Sunil Aryal serves as a Senior Scientist (S-4) (Entomology) and chief at the Horticulture Research Station in Kaski, under Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). His research endeavors in agricultural entomology, since 2000 when he joined NARC, encompass insect pest management, the utilization of botanicals against insect pests of crops and vegetables, and pesticide residue analysis. He is an esteemed reviewer for both national and international journals and has presented his research work at various national and international conferences.

Dr. Aryal earned his MSc. in Agriculture (Entomology) from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Tribhuvan University, before obtaining his Ph.D. in “Risk Analysis of invasive potato tuber moth to tomato” from Andong National University, Republic of Korea, in 2018.

As a Fulbright Visiting Scholar for the academic year 2024-25, Dr. Aryal will be hosted by the University of Arkansas’ Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. He will be investigating potentially volatile compounds of leaves and fruits of tomato varieties, performing electroantennogram response of T. absoluta to tomato fruit and leaf volatiles, determining trichome mediated susceptibility of tomato varieties, and testing repellents or behavior modifying compounds in olfactometer or arena assays.

Dr. Neeti Aryal Khanal is an impassioned educator, feminist researcher, and scholar-activist. Currently, Dr. Neeti serves as a Co-Investigator on a British Academy Funded research project (2023-2025), collaborating with investigators from University of Manchester, University of Belgrade (Serbia), and Universidad Pontificia Javeriana (Colombia). This multinational endeavor delves into “research ethics in practice” within conflict and disaster settings.

Drawing from over two decades of experience in higher education, Dr. Neeti’s trajectory encompasses a unique blend of activism, research, teaching, supervision, and curriculum development, informed by higher education pedagogy. With a Masters in Women’s Studies and a PhD in Sociology from Monash University (supported by the Australia Awards Scholarship), her expansive research portfolio converges around the central theme of social justice, spanning areas such as gender and disability, gender and armed conflict, maternal experiences, violence against women, marginalization, and reproductive health.

As a Fulbright Visiting Scholar for the academic year 2024-25, Dr. Neeti will be hosted by Oberlin College and Conservatory. Under the guidance of her mentor Prof. Dr. Erika Hoffman Dilloway, she endeavors to craft a manuscript focusing on women with disabilities in Nepal, drawing from her extensive two-decade engagement as a disability researcher in Nepal.