Discover Your Niche
The R-Adhikarya “Niche” Award (RANA) empowers students to pursue innovative thinking in their studies and careers in Southeast Asia. This annual prize to a graduate student in Global Development recognizes young visionaries who dare to think differently.
About the RANA Prize
Established by Ronny Adhikarya and his wife, Mee-Ching, the RANA Prize aims to motivate promising students to explore unique, unusual, and not “more-of-the-same” competencies and future careers focused on Southeast Asia. The $10,000 prize will provide financial assistance to either a Ph.D. or professional master's (MPS) student in the Department of Global Development who is interested in studying and solving important contemporary problems and/or futuristic societal needs/wants not currently being considered or significantly addressed by others. Strong preference will be given to applicants with a focus on Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, and those who demonstrate vision, interests or experiences in pursuing a “niche” area(s) of study and professional career.
- Students from or with interests in ASEAN are strongly encouraged to apply.
- The award recognizes smart, innovative and competitive students who wish to pursue their dreams to learn, explore and apply disruptive ideas and “niche” innovative thinking in their studies and future careers.
- Applications will be reviewed by a committee within the Department of Global Development that includes the department chair, the director of Graduate Studies for Global Development (MPS) and the director of Graduate Studies for Development Studies (PhD).
- The prize will be given each year to an admitted (matriculated at the time of application) graduate student in Global Development. Note: Global Development will seek to award admitted MPS students during odd years (i.e. 2025, 2027, etc.) and a Ph.D. students during even years (i.e. 2026, 2028, etc.).
Applications for the RANA Prize are currently closed. Applications for the 2026 RANA Prize will open Fall 2025.
2025 RANA Prize Winner
The 2025 RANA Prize will fund Ijeoma Obiedelu’s vision to create a safe, women-driven mobility service in Nigeria that not only reduces the risks of gender-based violence during commutes but also empowers women through job creation and economic independence. Recognizing that women around the world face barriers related to safety in public transportation, Obiedelu sees potential to scale mobility models, especially throughout Africa and Southeast Asia.
Previous RANA Prize winners
Made 'Aditya' Adityanandana's research delves into the challenges faced by smallholders in Indonesia, particularly rural youth, amid interventions to increase national food production. The RANA Prize funded Aditya's year of research in Central Kalimantan where Aditya traced the structural impediments and discourses that discourage youth from becoming farmers. Read more about Aditya and his selection.
Tamar Law, Ph.D. student in Development Studies, earned the 2023 RANA Prize for her research examining the climate justice dimensions of climate mitigation. The RANA Prize supports her examination of blue carbon governance and low-carbon development in Indonesia, which is home to the largest and most productive blue carbon ecosystem on the planet. Read more about Tamar and her selection.
The inaugural RANA Prize supported Ph.D. student Tim Ravis' research to untangle the political-economic forces, sociopolitical institutions, and individual personalities that combine to hinder a just and sustainable energy transition in Indonesia. Read more about Tim and his selection.
An unconventional career in development
Dr. Ronny Adhikarya, born in Bogor, Indonesia, was a student activist and a journalist in Indonesia until he went to the US for his studies: Cornell for his Masters (1971-72) and Stanford for his Ph.D. (1977-80). He was fortunate to obtain full-fellowships (including stipends for living costs) from the two universities. He worked as a research staff at the East-West Center (EWC) starting in 1972, where he met pioneers and international luminaries in his field of expertise — education & communication — who mentored and provided him with invaluable “tacit” knowledge and intellectual capital to continue his international development assistance career, mainly with the United Nations/FAO and the World Bank, and other institutions for more than 45 years.
The competitive Award will be offered annually to students at three world-class U.S. educational institutions: the East-West Center (EWC), Stanford University, and Cornell University. These institutions were part of Dr. Ronny Adhikarya’s academic journey before continuing his extensive career in international development assistance.
