Rauny, Rahul | India

Rahul is a Doctoral Candidate at the Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). He has dedicated himself to the pursuit of knowledge at the intersection of society, community health and biotechnology.

Prior to embarking on his Ph.D., he successfully completed an M. Phil in Social Sciences in Health, demonstrating his commitment to understanding the complexities of public health and societal dynamics. Before that, he obtained a master’s degree in biotechnology, showcasing his multidisciplinary approach to learning and research.

Rahul's research has been primarily centred around nutritional anemia and food security and its far-reaching impact on society. His work has not only emphasized the importance of scientific inquiry but also the crucial connection between scientific advancements and their implications for the community.

Currently, Rahul's research interests have led him to delve into genetic modification (GM) foods and gene editing technologies. He is deeply intrigued by how these scientific breakthroughs shape the perceptions and experiences of people and influence policy decisions in diverse cultural contexts, particularly within the contrasting landscapes of India and Austria.

Project at IAS-STS

Title of the Research Project: "The Social Acceptance and Regulatory Challenges of Gene-edited and GM Foods: A Comparative analysis of Austria and India"

Recent advances in genetic engineering techniques have led to the development of new methods for plant breeding and modification, such as gene editing. While these methods share some similarities with classical genetically modified (GM) approaches, they also have some important differences, particularly in terms of regulation and public perception. The differences between gene-edited and classical GM crops regarding policies, stakeholder views, and public perceptions suggest that they may need to be treated differently in regulatory and communication contexts.

As an IAS-STS research fellow, I aim to investigate the policies, stakeholders, and public views and perceptions on gene-edited plants/ derived food and how they differ from "classical" GM plants or foods. Through this research, I aim to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on gene editing and GM foods and provide a comprehensive understanding of the similarities and differences between these two approaches, particularly in the context of Austria and India.

Future research could explore how different approaches to regulation and communication affect public perceptions and acceptance of these technologies and how stakeholders can work together to address potential risks and benefits.

Selected Publications

Rauny, R (2022), Analysing the Ethical Ground of Unhealthy Anarchism of Health Apps:

A Case Study of Arogaya Setu App in India, Society of Social Studies of Science, Cholula

conference, Mexico.

Rauny, R (2021), The second wave of COVID-19 in India: The politics of missing death

numbers, International Health Policies, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.

Rauny, R (2020), chapter titled ‘Agricultural Biotechnology and Food Security in a

Warming World’, in the book titled ‘Recent Development in the Science and

Technology’ (ISBN 978-93-80966-84-7), edited by Dr. Neelam Kumari by Sunrise

Publications.

Rauny, R (2019) ‘The political economy of nutritional anemia in India’. Paper presented

at international conference on social sciences and health innovations, at Tomsk State

University, Tomsk, Russia.

Rauny, R (2018), The biological, environmental, and dietary determinants of nutritional

anemia in India: a narrative review, Edu World, ISSN (2319-7129), Vol- XII, No-6,

Page:440-445.