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.