Case Study 5: Why PhD Candidate Sai Ashish Left India

Sai Ashish is a PhD candidate at the University of California, San Diego, working on generative (gen) AI. He started his PhD during the covid-19 pandemic, with a focus on AI-based solutions for scientific discoveries, particularly in areas like vaccine development. 

His current research focuses on large language models (LLMs) for specialised domains such as health care and biology. He also works on detecting AI-generated content, including text and images, using statistical watermarking techniques. 

Why Did He Leave 

Ashish says he moved to the US, primarily for better research infrastructure and opportunities, especially in AI and machine learning (ML). “At the time, access to large-scale compute resources, such as high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs), was more readily available here, enabling more extensive experimentation,” he adds. 

While India’s AI ecosystem is growing, the computational limitations and broader research opportunities at that time influenced my decision, Ashish says further. 

Life in America 

It has been close to five years since Ashish moved to the US. Talking about the difference in quality of life in India and the US, he says, “While my primary reason for being here is to pursue my research and explore opportunities to advance my research career, quality of life—especially in terms of health—does matter to me,” Ashish adds. 

“One concern I have about India is the air quality, which has significant long-term health impacts. While I am confident that steps are being taken to address pollution, I believe the efforts need to be accelerated,” he says further. 

He adds, however, that life in the US is not without its challenges, with increasing competition in the job market and uncertainties around long-term residency. 

Would He Come Back? 

Ashish says he could consider returning to his homeland if opportunities for higher research and start-up funding open up. “India presents a unique opportunity to develop AI-driven solutions tailored to its vast and diverse market, addressing key challenges in health care, education and automation. As the ecosystem grows with more support for start-ups, better funding and stronger research-industry collaboration, I want to be part of it,” he says.