Dolly Shah, a Ph.D. research scholar of the Department of English, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) has been awarded the prestigious Ernst Mach Grant worldwide, funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research and administered by OeAD, Austria.
The fellowship will support her research stay at the University of Graz, Austria, from October 2026 to June 2027. Her research project, “Marginalisation and resistance in Dalit diaspora non-fiction in the United States: Literary activism and policy change,” builds upon her doctoral work in Dalit Studies, Diaspora Studies and American Studies.
Congratulating the scholar on her achievement, Prof Mahavir Singh, Vice-Chancellor, HPU said that this achievement is a matter of pride for the University. He also wished her success in her future academic endeavours. He said that this achievement highlights HPU’s growing international academic presence.
VC said that during her Ph.D., Shah has also represented HPU at the 51st International Conference of the Austrian Association for American Studies (2024) and participated in the London Critical Theory Summer School (2025) at Birkbeck, University of London. She was also selected for the Virtual London Critical Theory Summer School 2026.
Reacting to her achievement, Shah expressed her gratitude to Professor Neelima Kanwar, Head, Department of English, her supervisor Dr Seema Banta, assistant professor, UIT, and all faculty members of the department for their guidance and support throughout her academic journey.
