I have more than two decades of experience of conducting evidence-based research, programme management, assessments and evaluation related to various aspects of natural resource management, gender, poverty inequity issues, inter alia. I have worked in three different work environments – policy research, academic research and teaching, and grassroots field implementation. My work focuses on governance challenges that water/forest/natural resources faces in the current liberalised economy.

My PhD is in Development Studies from the Center for Development Research (ZEF) University of Bonn. I hold a Masters in Politics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Masters in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) the Hague, part of Erasmus University Rotterdam. I have a Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development from Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS), Ranchi. My undergraduate degree is in Economics and Political Science from Delhi University.

I have worked in various capacities with World Resources Institute India; World Bank, New Delhi; ZEF Bonn; TERI University New Delhi; University of Massachusetts Amherst; The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) New Delhi; Development and Research Services (DRS) New Delhi; and Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) Dahod. My work experience with different organisations has given me an opportunity to work in interdisciplinary environments with diverse set of actors -local communities, grassroots level institutions, government departments, NGOs, bilateral and multilateral organisations, partner organisations and funders.

My research interests are political sociology of water/forest/natural resource management; environment and development; forest governance issues – hurdles in implementation of forest rights act and community resource management issues; forest restoration; water governance and politics: urban and rural; relation between state and environment in South Asia; media and  environment; social movements, environment and development; land tenure governance and gender issues.