Dr. Deepak Kumar Malik is the President of DAAD IndiAlumni Netzwerk e.V., the association that brings together DAAD scholars and alumni who connect India and Germany. A scientist in Munich and a former DAAD scholar, he has been part of IndiAlumni since 2019. In this message he introduces himself and sets out what he wants the network to become.
Namaste, and Grüß Gott from Munich.
I came to Germany as a DAAD scholar to do my PhD in biochemistry at LMU Munich, after studying at IIT Bombay. Like many of you, I arrived with a suitcase, a scholarship letter and very little idea of how much that move would shape the rest of my life. Today I work as a Senior Scientist and Project Manager in the biotechnology sector in Munich.
Outside work, mentoring is what I care about most. I founded the Emerging Scholars Council, an independent mentoring organisation where I and fellow researchers help students from India and other countries prepare their applications for Master’s and PhD programmes in Germany and beyond. Many of the students I mentor are standing exactly where I stood before my DAAD scholarship, and that is a big part of why IndiAlumni matters to me: the people who have already made the move are the best guides for those who are about to.
I joined IndiAlumni in 2019. It gave me friendships, ideas and people I would never otherwise have met. I now serve as its President, together with Julia Regel as Vice President and Kanchan Samadhiya as Treasurer, and I would like to use that role to give something back.
Why this network matters to me
The DAAD funds a stay. What happens after it is up to us.
If you are an Indian who has studied or worked in Germany, or a German who has spent time in India, you carry something rare: you understand both countries from the inside. That is valuable to employers and universities, to the next student who is about to make the same move, and above all to each other. IndiAlumni exists so that this does not end when the funding does.
Today we are 99 people in 56 towns across Germany, with time spent in cities from Pune and Delhi to Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. That is a real network. My job is to make sure it feels like one.
What I want to build by 2027
When we asked members what they wanted from the association, the answer was not more programmes. It was people. So that is where I am starting.
A rhythm you can count on. Our Desi Deutsch Dialogues, the monthly Stammtisch, meet online on the third Tuesday of every month, 20:00–21:00 German time. It is free, relaxed, and open to non-members. If you only ever come to one thing, come to this.
Meeting in person, in more cities. Not everything should depend on one big event a year. I want members in different cities to host small, informal meet-ups, so that wherever you live in Germany there is someone nearby worth knowing.
Those who have just arrived, meeting those who have been here for years. An hour with someone who has already made the move can save a newcomer months of guesswork. Many of our senior members have exactly that hour to give, and I want to make asking for it easy.
ConFest 2027. Our flagship gathering returns in 2027: a weekend of talks, workshops and conversations, together with the General Assembly. If you want to help shape it, tell us early.
Open doors. I want to work closely with institutions in both countries, so that the experience our members bring is recognised and put to use.
How you can be part of it
Come to a Stammtisch. Become a member, which now takes a couple of minutes online. If you would like to help run something, even a little, we would be very glad to have you. And if you simply want to talk, write to me directly at deepak@indialumni.org or find me on LinkedIn.
I look forward to meeting you.
Dr. Deepak Kumar Malik
President, DAAD IndiAlumni Netzwerk e.V.