Chevening Fellowships

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The University of Oxford hosts two Chevening-supported fellowship programmes for accomplished professionals from South Asia: the Chevening Research, Innovation and Science Policy (CRISP) Fellowship and the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence. Both are funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and bring fellows to Oxford as Academic Visitors for 11 weeks of residential study, exchange, and professional development.

The CRISP Fellowship, hosted by St Cross College, brings together 14 professionals from India and Sri Lanka working at the intersection of science, innovation, entrepreneurship, and public policy. The programme focuses on leadership in rapidly evolving technological and policy environments, with particular emphasis on evidence-based policymaking, governance, and innovation-led development.

The Gurukul Fellowship is hosted by Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations and hosts 12 professionals from India with substantial experience in public life, policy, and related fields. During their time in Oxford, Gurukul fellows are members of the MCR at St Cross College, participating fully in the College’s international and interdisciplinary community. The programme examines the changing ideas and practices of leadership in a global context, including economic integration, technological change, governance, and international cooperation.

Across both programmes, fellows follow a rigorous academic programme combining seminars, teaching, and discussions with Oxford scholars and external experts. This is complemented by a programme of cultural visits, institutional engagements, and networking opportunities that introduce fellows to the wider intellectual and public life of the UK. During their time in Oxford, each fellow also develops an individual project, culminating in a final presentation. These projects are intended to serve as the foundation for further development and implementation once fellows return to their professional contexts.

People

Meet Our Fellowship Leaders
 

briant richard by john cairns

Richard Briant

Richard directs leadership programmes at Oxford including the Chevening CRISP and Gurukul Fellowship programmes. St Cross hosts CRISP which focuses on Innovation, Science policy and Leadership for mid-career professionals from India and Sri Lanka. The Gurukul programme on Leadership and Excellence, hosted by the Department of Politics and International Relations, also has strong links with St Cross.

Richard is an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School where his roles include directing Oxford modules for the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Programme for next-generation leaders in sub-Saharan Africa, and co-directing “InnoPower”, a programme for social workers from Hong Kong.

In previous roles Richard has been Chief Operating Officer and International Director at the Saïd Business School. In the 1990s he was the Administrator in the Department of Materials where he helped set up the University's Science Park at Begbroke.

Richard’s early professional experience, after studying History and Law at Cambridge, was as a UK civil servant and diplomat. He is a Director of Oxford Archaeology Ltd.

 

 

dorian

Dr Dorian Singh

   

Dr Dorian Singh is Assistant Director of the Chevening Fellowship programmes (CRISP and Gurukul) at the University of Oxford. She works closely with academic departments and colleagues throughout the collegiate University to develop the programmes’ academic and policy offering and to connect fellows with distinguished scholars and practitioners in Oxford and beyond. Dorian studied History at the University of Texas at Austin before undertaking graduate studies at the University of Oxford, where she completed an Master’s in Russian and East European Studies and a DPhil in Social Policy at St Antony’s College. She has taught the Social Policy paper for undergraduate students in the Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) programme at Oxford.

Prior to joining the Chevening Fellowship team, Dr Singh worked within the University’s Equality and Diversity Unit, focusing on race, religion and belief. She served as a member of Oxford’s Race Equality Task Force and was a founding member of the Oxford & Colonialism Project. She previously served as Research Manager for the Dahrendorf Programme for the Study of Freedom at the European Studies Centre at St Antony’s College, Oxford, working under the directorship of Professor Timothy Garton Ash on research addressing democracy, global free speech, and the future of liberal institutions.

 

Current Fellows
Past Fellows