Anoushka Varma

Anoushka Varma is currently a Summer Intern at the Soufan Center. She recently earned her master’s degree in Global Affairs with a specialization in International Relations and the United Nations from New York University (NYU). She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Politics from the University of Bristol in the UK.

Anoushka’s academic career has focused on the field of violent extremism; she has worked with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) on projects concerning the repatriation of individuals from Northeast Syria and with the District Attorney of New York (DANY) on the use of artificial intelligence by extremists for online radicalization and recruitment. Currently, she is engaged in a research project aimed at identifying best practices for reintegration and rehabilitation programs available to ex-ISIL affiliates in Mosul, Iraq.

In addition, Anoushka is passionate about South Asian politics. She recently completed her master’s thesis on the electoral impact of Hindu nationalist vigilante groups in India and her undergraduate thesis centered on the extent to which existing systems of patronage have been impacted by the BJP’s ascent to power post-2014.