• Migration and refugee status
• Geopolitics and diplomacy
• Marginalized communities
• Transgender and gender
• State and governance
• Religion

Athira holds a master’s degree in international studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, with a deep commitment to understanding and addressing global challenges. Her academic interests encompass refugees, religion, international politics, gender, and displacement. For her thesis, she researched the experiences of Tibetan refugees in India and the struggles of women migrant labourers. 

Additionally, Athira has worked as a social worker in Chennai, engaging in projects that support sex workers, transgender individuals, people living with HIV, the Narikuravar community, and other underprivileged groups. Through this hands-on experience, she has gained valuable insights into the complexities of marginalised communities and have developed a strong dedication to advocacy and social justice. 

She has earlier worked with DevTown in Bengaluru, Karnataka, as a Business Development Associate, and as a social worker in Real Charitable Trust, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

In her time for leisure she enjoys gardening, reading, and watching old Tamil/​Malayalam movies.