The Amrita School for Sustainable Futures proudly announces the graduation of the first cohort of the E4Life Ph.D. Program (Education for Life) — a fully funded, interdisciplinary doctoral fellowship in sustainable development. This first graduating batch includes 23 scholars from 9 countries — India, Zambia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ghana, Iran, Tanzania, and the United Kingdom, with many of them hailing from disadvantaged or underrepresented communities.
Initiated in 2020, the E4Life (Education for Life) Ph.D. Fellowship, offered by School for Sustainable Futures is a fully funded doctoral scholarship program, instituted under the visionary guidance of Amita’s Chancellor, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma). With an annual endowment of USD 5.1 million, it supports 100 Ph.D. scholars each year, providing full coverage of tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and research grants.
A hallmark of the E4Life program is its immersive, field-based model, where scholars spend up to a year living in rural Indian villages through Amrita’s Live-in-Labs® program. Rooted in compassion, the program empowers global researchers, fosters interdisciplinary, impact-driven research, and uplifts rural communities through co-created, sustainable solutions.
Graduating scholars have successfully completed their Ph.D.s in critical and socially relevant areas such as climate resilience, tribal welfare, public health, food security, gender equity, and sustainable agriculture.
Across more than 10 states in India, from the coastal shores of Kerala to the tribal heartlands of Karnataka and the flood-prone plains of Bihar, these scholars shared roofs, meals, and stories with villagers, translating their research into solutions that are sustainable.
In Byse, Karnataka, a scholar from Zambia co-created a sustainable fish feed using jackfruit and seabuckthorn to support local livelihoods. In Uttar Pradesh, anemia among women and children was tackled through field assessments and sanitation innovations. In Alappad, Kerala, blockchain tools and blue economy strategies empowered fisherfolk, especially women.
As these 23 scholars return to their homelands or continue working across India and beyond, they carry with them not just doctoral degrees, but Amma’s timeless message: “In our approach to sustainable development, we should not forget that it is by strengthening the people at the base of the pyramid that the entire edifice of society becomes healthy and strong.”
