Dr. Sudeshna Mukherjee

Dr. Sudeshna Mukherjee is an academic, researcher, and social policy expert with over two decades of experience in higher education, gender studies, social research, and community development. She currently serves as Director of the Centre for Social Impact at Chanakya University, Bengaluru. Prior to joining Chanakya University, she served as an Associate Professor at the Center for Women's Studies, Bangalore University.

She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology, with a specialisation in Gender and Human Rights (2006), and an M.Phil. in Sociology, with a specialisation in Gender Studies (2000), besides an M.A. in Sociology (1998)  from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She also underwent an Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management at the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata (2025).

She has held academic and administrative positions at institutions including Bangalore University, Christ University, and Mangalore University. Her research spans gender, human rights, development, public policy, gerontology, social inequality, and impact evaluation, with a focus on empirical and field-based research in India.

Areas of Expertise: Her areas of expertise include gender and development, human rights, public policy, impact evaluation, gerontology and elder care, social research, and social inclusion and inequality.

Current Positions:

• She is currently a member of the Managing Committee of the Indian Sociological Society
• Advisory Committee Member, Department of Women’s Studies, Vijayapura Akka Mahadevi Women’s University
• Member, Boards of Studies, various universities, including Bangalore University, Bangalore City University, Alagappa University, Pondicherry University, Bharathidasan University, Krishna Devaraya University, and Vijayapura Akka Mahadevi Women’s University

Past Positions:

• Advisory Committee Member, Centre for Women’s Studies, Bangalore University (2019-2025)
• Advisory Committee Member, Karnataka University, Dharwad (2022-2025)

Key Contributions / Achievements:

• She served as Coordinator of the drafting committee for the Government of Karnataka’s Women’s Empowerment Policy (2016) and has led research and impact evaluation studies on welfare implementation, financial inclusion, gender inequality, and the experiences of marginalised communities. She has also contributed to the development of Women’s Studies curricula under the National Education Policy (NEP).
• Her work has been recognised through the Bureau of Police Research and Development, Ministry of Home Affairs Fellowship for doctoral research (2001). In 2015, she represented India through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, focused on combating gender-based violence.

Publications / Research:

• Mukherjee, S., Rajendra, N., & Dwivedi, P. (2025). Social exclusion and gender inequality faced by students with disabilities during the COVID pandemic. Journal of Social and Economic Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-024-00404-x
• Thumboo, S., & Mukherjee, S. (2024). The intersection of age, gender, and technology: A study of cyber victimisation among older women in India. HelpAge India Research & Development Journal, 27(3); Thumboo, S., & Mukherjee, S. (2024). Digital romance fraud targeting unmarried women. Discover Global Society, 2, Article 105.
  https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00132-x.