Six Indians among 90 students of 32 countries have won prestigious Bill and Melinda Gates scholarships, set up in 2000 to help deserving postgraduates to pursue their courses at Cambridge University.

The winners includes Mathew Madhavacheril , Anjali Bhardwai Datta, a lecturer at the University of Delhi, Kiran Rachuri, a student of IIT Madras, Yama Dixit and Anish Vanaik from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Pritika Pradhan from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi. They can now pursue their higher studies at the University of Cambridge from the session beginning from September this year.

Anjali Bhardwai Datta, while revealing her plans, said, "After completing my studies I wish to get back to college teaching as I feel very strongly about it." She has already published research papers in leading international journals and keen to pursue a PhD in History on partition in West and East India.

Yama Dixit would study the impact of environmental and climatic changes on human civilization under his PhD in Earth Sciences at Cambridge.

CEO of the Gates Cambridge Trust, Gordon Johnson, said: "We are delighted to have selected 90 new Gates Scholars for entry in October 2009. The new Scholars will be part of a thriving community of Gates Scholars while in Cambridge and become part of a growing and influential network of Gates Alumni upon graduation."