Exceptional Four: Indian American Scholars and Writers Named to 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship Class

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has named 223 fellows across 55 disciplines in its 2026 class, recognizing individuals for “prior achievement and exceptional promise.” Selected through a competitive, peer-reviewed process from nearly 5,000 applicants, the fellowship supports independent work in the arts, humanities, and sciences.

Among this year’s cohort are four Indian American figures spanning literature, poetry, and computer science: Amitav Ghosh, Megha Majumdar, Vivek Narayanan, and Vinod Vaikuntanathan.

The four honorees reflect the breadth of the Guggenheim program, which spans creative arts and scientific research. Ghosh was recognized in general nonfiction, Majumdar in fiction, Narayanan in poetry, and Vaikuntanathan in computer science.

Founded in 1925, the fellowship has awarded nearly $450 million to more than 19,000 fellows, enabling recipients to pursue independent projects under flexible conditions.

Amitav Ghosh — chronicler of history and climate

Amitav Ghosh, based in Brooklyn, is one of the most internationally recognized writers of Indian origin. His body of work spans novels and essays that explore colonial history, migration, and environmental change, particularly in South Asia.

He received India’s Jnanpith Award in 2018, one of the country’s highest literary honors. His Guggenheim recognition in general nonfiction underscores his continued engagement with global historical narratives and the climate crisis.

Megha Majumdar — a leading voice in contemporary fiction

Megha Majumdar, who teaches at CUNY’s Hunter College, emerged as a major literary figure with her debut novel A Burning, which became a New York Times bestseller.

Her second novel, A Guardian and a Thief, was shortlisted for the 2025 National Book Award for Fiction and went on to win the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Her work often examines social inequality, political tension, and personal ambition in modern India.

Vivek Narayanan — poetry shaped by global experience

Vivek Narayanan, a faculty member at George Mason University, was born in India and raised in Zambia, bringing a transnational perspective to his poetry.

Trained in anthropology at Stanford University and later earning an MFA in creative writing from Boston University, Narayanan’s work blends cultural inquiry with lyrical experimentation. His Guggenheim Fellowship in poetry recognizes his contributions to contemporary verse.

Vinod Vaikuntanathan — advancing cryptography and data security

Vinod Vaikuntanathan is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a leading figure in modern cryptography. His research focuses on areas such as homomorphic encryption, a technique that allows computation on encrypted data without decrypting it.

Vaikuntanathan shared the 2022 Gödel Prize and co-founded the data security company Duality Technologies. His Guggenheim recognition highlights the growing importance of secure computation and privacy-preserving technologies.

Recognition across generations and fields

The 2026 Guggenheim Fellows range in age from 28 to 76 and represent institutions across the United States and beyond. Their work addresses subjects from artificial intelligence and medical innovation to literature and cultural history.

The inclusion of Ghosh, Majumdar, Narayanan, and Vaikuntanathan underscores the continued influence of Indian American scholars and artists across disciplines—bridging storytelling, cultural analysis, and cutting-edge science within one of the world’s most prestigious fellowship programs.