At least nine talented Indians and Indian-Americans are among 90 of the most academically outstanding and socially committed postgraduates from across the globe awarded the Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2019, the university announced on Thursday.

The four Indian-Americans and their fields of study are: Nitika Mummidivaparu (MPhil in the History and Philosophy of Science), Dhruv Nandamudi (PhD in Biological Science).Sridhar Sriram (MPhil in Technology Policy) and Kiran Sridhar (MRes in Strategy, Marketing, and Operations).

The five Indians and their fields of study are: Arjun Ashoka (PhD in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies), Nishant Gokhale (PhD in Legal Studies), Kanupriya Sharma (PhD in Criminology), Reetika Subramanian (PhD in Multi-disciplinary Gender Studies) and Avani Vieira (PhD in English).

The 90 scholars in the class of 2019 are citizens of 37 different countries.

Two-thirds will pursue PhDs at the university, with subjects ranging from cybersecurity, human trafficking and the heritage and identity of the Caribbean, to early detection of oesophageal cancer and the genetics of TB resistance.

Stephen Toope, Cambridge vice-chancellor and chair of the Gates Cambridge Trustees, said: “The Gates Cambridge Scholars are an extraordinary group of people. Not only have they demonstrated outstanding academic abilities in their field, but they have also shown a real commitment to engaging with the world – and to changing it for the better”.

“They truly embody the values our University cherishes – excellence, a global outlook and an aspiration to contribute to society.”

The competitive international postgraduate scholarship programme was launched in 2000 with a $210 million donation to the University of Cambridge from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the largest single donation in history to a UK university.