Michael Bhatia
Anthropologist
Died when: 31 years 258 days (380 months)Star Sign: Virgo
Michael Vinay Bhatia (August 23, 1976 –May 7, 2008) was a researcher studying conflict resolution in war-torn countries.He was born in Upland, California.
He attended Brown University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in International Relations in 1999.He was the recipient of the Herbert Scoville Jr.
Peace Fellowship and a Marshall Scholarship to study at the University of Oxford where he earned his M.Sc. in International Relations in 2002.
He was a visiting fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University and a lecturer at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
Bhatia was killed on May 7, 2008 in Khost Province, Afghanistan where he was serving as a social scientist in consultation with the US Defense Department.
On May 16, 2008, by order of Robert Gates, the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Bhatia was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom posthumously.
