About Krishaan Vadia
Krishaan Vadia is a sophomore at Harvard College studying economics and government who is passionate about global development, with a particular focus on poverty, infrastructure, education, and humanitarian crises. His interests lie at the intersection of finance, public policy, law, and social enterprise as avenues for reform, especially within emerging markets. As a member of Harvard’s inaugural cohort of Laidlaw Scholars, Krishaan researches (1) how innovative financing mechanisms could support the emergence of human capital as a scalable institutional alternative asset class by drawing on the innovations of infrastructure finance and (2) how complementary financing mechanisms could derisk and expand private investment toward education and workforce development for underserved populations in emerging markets.
At Harvard, he was one of two first-years selected as a liaison to former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and also served as an associate to former Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb through Harvard’s Institute of Politics. Additionally, he served as Policy Chair of the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative, where he led a six-member team as first author of a 56-page policy white paper on the impact of fiscal constraints on chronic malnutrition in East Africa, presenting recommendations to the commissioner (Action Against Hunger, a global NGO) in New York City after winning a competitive travel grant. He is also on the masthead of the Harvard Undergraduate Law Review as Director of Outreach, is Project Head of Education & Admissions Initiatives for the Harvard Undergraduate Rural League, and conducts intelligence research for Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic on genocidal rhetoric, active peace negotiations, and field reporting related to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Beyond campus, he conducted original cross-market economic development research adopted by City of Indianapolis to support stakeholder engagement on 60+ large-scale AI data center projects, analyzing enacted land-use ordinances across five peer cities to develop regulatory compliance and tax abatement recommendations for capital-intensive development initiatives in the city. He also serves as a Campaign Fellow for Beau Bayh’s Indiana Secretary of State campaign. Outside of his academic and professional interests, Krishaan has a longstanding love of vocal performance/dance, for which he has competed and won awards at the national level.
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Recent Comments
Stan, really proud of you! I loved reading about how much persistence and thought went into the project, and it was also nice seeing how clearly the summer reinforced your interest in organic chemistry and the kind of researcher you want to become. And somehow, in the middle of all of this, you still found time to follow basically every World Cup match. Very on brand for Stan the Man. Excited to see what you do next!
Incredible piece, Ellis! I resonate with your research, especially as another LGBTQ+ person of color from a conservative, predominantly homogenous state—and I can see many of the experiences I’ve observed in your work. My favorite things you mentioned:
1. the difficulty of transitioning from quantitative research (shaped by, as you mentioned, admittedly crucial yet still often incomplete positivist conventions in our standard research practices) to qualitative research, which is more holistic (“post-positivist”) and perhaps consequently more challenging.
2. Your prerogative of prioritizing longevity, thoughtfulness, and “moral force of character” is incredibly mature and thoughtful, not just in isolation, but also vis à vis what is “rewarded” by capital (“speed and production”). This will definitely serve you well as a researcher in the long-run!
3. Your observation of the temptation to disingenuously “construct a narrative” and your commitment to the idea that the most productive research outputs are bred in nuance and complexity.
So lucky to have gotten to know you more this summer, and as always, looking forward to hearing more great things from you :)
I read every word from start to finish. You inspire me so much, Taylor. I’m incredibly proud of you for your diligence and incessantly positive spirits this summer. It is so clear to see this work as a manifestation of your intrinsic passion (not just of this research content, but of your general drive towards what you care about). We are so lucky to have you!