Two TCI Scholars were recognized for their achievements during commencement ceremonies at Cornell University on Friday, May 23.

Shree Saha graduated with a Ph.D. in applied economics and management from the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Shivranjani Baruah graduated with a Ph.D. in plant pathology and plant-microbe biology from the School of Integrative Plant Science.

As a TCI scholar, Saha studied the impact of perceived complexity on the adoption of agricultural technology. She conducted a randomized control trial with 611 shrimp farmers in the coastal districts of Odisha, India, providing them with hands-on training using Aquaconnect, a digital tool that computes feed rates for shrimp. Her research highlighted the role perceived complexity plays in deterring technology adoption and showed that training can encourage adoption by reducing perceived complexity.

Baruah’s doctoral research focused on the biology and evolution of pathogen-rice interactions to understand the genetic and physiological factors that enable disease development. As part of her studies, she developed and successfully tested a high-throughput phenotyping pipeline for disease detection and quantification using imaging spectroscopy. Her research holds the potential to improve the development of disease-resistant crop varieties. 

Two other TCI scholars earned degrees this year but did not take part in the commencement ceremonies. Annie Gurmeher Kaur completed an M.S. in applied economics and management. She will remain at TCI as she works toward her PhD.

Ekta Joshi completed her Ph.D. in applied economics and management in December 2024. Joshi’s research at TCI focused on the scope and ability of farmer producer organizations (FPOs) to promote smallholder commercialization and aid agricultural development in India. She conducted surveys of 1,800 farmers across 100 FPOs in the country to analyze the implications of FPO membership on farming outcomes. It was one of the first large-scale studies of the individual-level impacts of FPOs in India. She is now an economist in the agrifood economics division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

Since TCI’s founding in 2013, 22 TCI scholars have earned Ph.Ds., while nine have earned master’s degrees.

Featured image: TCI Director Prabhu Pingali and TCI Scholar Shree Saha at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management commencement ceremony. (Photo by Dan Verderosa/TCI)