People – Our Team

April 15, 2026

Our Team

A man with short hair and glasses wearing a dark suit jacket over a light blue checkered shirt is smiling in front of a neutral background.

Yogesh Joshi

Director, The India Center

Yogesh Joshi, Ph.D. is the Indian Community Endowed Assistant Professor and Director of The India Center. His research focuses on military technological diffusion among rising powers, conventional military and nuclear strategy, and alliance politics with an empirical focus on India, South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
More Information

Leila Chacko

Leila Chacko

Assistant Director

Leila Chacko is the Assistant Director for The India Center at UCF. Her responsibilities include overseeing and developing programming for The India Center to broaden the awareness and understanding of contemporary India.
More Information

A man in a blue shirt smiles and stands against a dark wooden background.

Arjun Sherugar

Student Office Assistant 

Arjun Sherugar is a Student Office Assistant for The India Center at UCF. He is pursuing his undergraduate degree at UCF, majoring in Computer Science. His responsibilities are to assist with daily office operations. Additionally, he prepares for campus events and assists professional staff with reports and special projects as needed.

Contact: indiacenterstudent@ucf.edu

A man with short black hair wearing a white dress shirt and black tie stands against a plain beige background, looking at the camera.

Andy Pham

Student Office Assistant 

Andy Pham is a Student Office Assistant for The India Center at UCF. He is pursuing his undergraduate degree at UCF, majoring in Health Sciences Pre-clinical, on the pre-dental path at UCF. He is responsible for daily administrative operations of The India Center.

Contact: indiacenterstudent@ucf.edu

A man in a suit and tie stands outside a government building with columns, featuring an American flag in the background.
Dharma Bhatt

Graduate Research Assistant

Dharma Bhatt is a Graduate Research Assistant for The India Center at the University of Central Florida. He is currently a Ph.D. student in the Security Studies program at UCF. He holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Maryland – Baltimore County and an MA in International Security from George Mason University. Broadly, his research primarily focuses on military strategy, with an interest in cyber capabilities, intelligence, and adaptation. Outside of the classroom, Dharma is an active member of Knight Runners, UCF’s official running club. His role is to assist with advancing the Center’s research agenda.