School of Social and Political Science

Background

Jay Bharat Choudhari is a PhD researcher in International Development at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh. His research examines the intersections of Meritocracy, and Higher Education. 

Before beginning his PhD, Jay completed a Master’s in Data, Inequality, and Society at the Edinburgh Futures Institute and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from the Government College of Engineering, Chandrapur (Maharashtra, India).

Alongside his academic work, Jay is a contributing writer/author for several non-academic platforms where he writes on issues related to caste, education, and social justice. He is also the founder of the Dhyeya Educational Foundation, a nonprofit initiative based in Chandrapur that provides mentorship and educational guidance to students from historically caste-marginalized communities in Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts in India's Maharashtra state. He is a founding member of Ambedkarite Society of Edinburgh (ASE) in Scotland, United Kingdom.    

Jay’s writings have appeared on multiple national and international platforms, and he received the University of Edinburgh Student Award (2024) in recognition of his community engagement and leadership through Dhyeya. He was also awarded with Tweedie Fellowship by the School of Social and Political Science for his doctoral field research on education. He was selected to represent the University of Edinburgh in UnaEuropa Student Congress in Berlin, Germany in 2024. 

Recently published 

Op-eds:- 

Scroll.in, Why India's Judiciary needs representation for democratic justice? Jay Bharat Choudhari. 

Indian judiciary: Diversity and not merit can bring about democratic justice


Editorials:-  

Loksatta (Indianexpress group), In search of world-class education: Indian foreign scholarships, their problems and solutions. (online, and Printed copy- in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Ahilyanagar editions in Maharashtra)

https://www.loksatta.com/sampadkiya/features/government-scholarships-underprivileged-students-foreign-education-ssb-93-4995330/
 

Featured:- 

Edinburgh Futures Institute student wins Outstanding Community Impact in Volunteering Award  - Edinburgh Futures Institute, April 2024. 

A chain of students paying back to society - Edinburgh Impact, June 2024.