• Sustainability and Development
• Natural resource governance
• Local Democracy
• Stakeholder management
• Project & Programme Management
• Interdisciplinary studies

Dechamma anchors Community Engagement Initiative at the University, a unique wing that is committed to improve human wellbeing and fosters sustainability in the neighbourhood of the university. 

She is a sustainability and development professional with 8 years of work experience in the domain of practice and designing sustainability projects. Throughout her career, she has chosen roles where her contributions create meaningful and genuine impact. She enjoys working at the intersection of policy, implementation, and stakeholder engagement. She believes that lasting positive change can only unfold when communities are actively engaged.

Prior to joining the University, she worked with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike and MAPSAS to manage and oversee 5 lakes in the Sarjaura area. She was responsible for collaborations, designing and implementing projects around sustainability. During her tenure at the BBMP, she worked on processes that was used by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to revoke the environmental clearance granted to a large real estate project that had encroached upon the buffer zone of Kaikondrahalli Lake.

Her interest lies in resource governance, stakeholder dynamics and community centric approaches to governance. And in this juncture, she brings her experiences to work as an intermediary within public systems to strengthen governance and citizen centric deliveries. 

She enjoys crafting interdisciplinary research that leads to on-ground impact. She draws upon her interdisciplinary academic training in Sustainability and development from Azim Premji University. She has a Bachelor’s in Astrophysics. 

She currently co investigates an action research project exploring the feasibility of a community-centric waste-management model. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring effective system transfer to support long-term sustainability of the project.

She will also serve as a co-investigator on another action research focused on strengthening community-based systems for early identification, referral, early intervention, and rehabilitation of children at risk for developmental delays and disabilities.

She is also a certified Corporate Social Responsibility professional. 

Outside of her professional roles, she enjoys working in her coffee estates and delights in collecting and cooking traditional recipes. She is also a trained badminton player.