Major Fellowship Activities: Mahesri worked on a chronology on the A.Q. Khan network that covers not only Khan’s life, but also the names of others persons and companies involved in both the procurement and proliferation of nuclear technology, key moments in history when decisions were made, and investigations into these networks and trials that have occurred over the past several decades. As part of this project, she spoke with experts, including nuclear physicists; regional experts; government agencies and embassies both in the U.S. and abroad; and current and retired government officials. The chronology will be published on the website. Additionally, she researched or investigated several other stories, including examining if there was damage done to Pakistani nuclear sites during the 2005 earthquake; she helped with research on a 60 Minutes story on contracting fraud in Iraq; she also looked into lobby and other records, as well as other stories concerning border security.
Current Activities: Mahesri is a Senior Advisor at Tides Advocacy and Tides Foundation. She specializes in working with progressive, movement organizations doing lobbying, advocacy, and political work at local, state and federal levels. She supports strategy, organizational development, and resource mobilization for these groups. She was previously a Business Development Associate for the Middle East at Chemonics International. Chemonics International is an international development consulting firm that works with donor agencies (such as USAID) to implement development projects around the world in every sector from health to economic growth to natural resources management. She worked on the business development team, helping to design new projects and prepare bids for donor agencies for the Middle East region. In 2007 she received an MA in International Affairs with a focus on Conflict Resolution and International Law/International Organizations from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University. She wrote her graduate thesis on Peace-Building in Lebanon through Education Reform. In summer 2006 she taught English and developing curriculum in a newly rebuilt non-religious school in the earthquake zone in Kashmir, Pakistan.