Crawford Alumni Gathering in Kathmandu: Reconnecting with ASARC’s Nepal network

On 13 December 2026, the Australia South Asia Research Centre (ASARC) hosted a Crawford Alumni Gathering in Kathmandu at Aloft Kathmandu Thamel. The evening brought together Crawford/ANU alumni and friends based in Nepal for an informal conversation about ASARC’s work, emerging research priorities, and opportunities for collaboration across the region. Mr Greg Klemm, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Australia in Nepal, also joined the gathering.

The event is part of ASARC’s broader effort to deepen engagement with alumni and partners across South Asia. The region sits at the centre of many of today’s most pressing development and policy challenges—from climate risk and migration to human capital and inequality—and alumni networks are essential for keeping our research and outreach connected to country realities.

During the program, Professor Shyamal Chowdhury shared a brief overview of ASARC’s mission and activities. Based at the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, ASARC supports research on the economies and societies of South Asia, including Nepal. He also reflected on ASARC’s history and evolving role within Crawford, building on a long tradition of South Asia–focused scholarship.

What we discussed

Discussion focused on ASARC’s four core pillars: research, capacity building, outreach and engagement, and collaborations and networks. On the research side, Professor Chowdhury highlighted themes that cut across ASARC-linked work, including social protection and extreme poverty, inequality and labour markets, human capital, migration and mobility, and climate change and rural transformation.

We also discussed ASARC’s capacity-building agenda, including short courses and tailored, demand-driven programs designed to strengthen practical skills for evidence-based policymaking. Alumni gatherings like this one are a key part of ASARC’s outreach efforts, helping us stay connected to evolving policy priorities and institutional realities on the ground.

Nepal as a core partner

A central theme of the conversation was that Nepal should be central to ASARC’s South Asia–focused work. We discussed several areas where collaboration with Kathmandu-based institutions could be especially valuable, including microfinance and financial inclusion, seasonal migration and rural transformation, human capital and education, and climate vulnerability and social protection.

How alumni can stay involved

We closed with a practical discussion of how alumni can engage with ASARC—by staying connected through ASARC communications, sharing research and policy interests, co-developing projects where rigorous evidence is needed, supporting training and executive education, mentoring students and early-career researchers, and serving as ambassadors for ASARC and Crawford.

If you are a Crawford/ANU alumnus/alumna based in Nepal (or working on Nepal-related policy and research) and would like to connect, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please reach out to asarc@anu.edu.au.

— Professor Shyamal Chowdhury, Director, Australia South Asia Research Centre (ASARC), Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU