Faculty Research
To inform and inspire
Faculty research at Azim Premji University spans across the social sciences, natural and physical sciences, development, and education. A defining feature of research at the University is its interdisciplinary character. Faculty draw on diverse perspectives and methodologies to address complex questions that cut across conventional disciplinary boundaries.
Researchers engage with questions that are central to understanding contemporary society, including education, livelihoods, development, governance, public policy, inequality and social justice. They examine issues such as caste, gender, political economy, sustainability, and climate change, while also exploring areas related to culture, media, literature, and history.
Faculty also investigate questions across the life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, information sciences, and psychology. Their work spans topics such as biological invasions, forest resilience, quantum chromodynamics, computational chemistry, geometric group theory, data science, topology and neurological and mental health disorders.
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Book
Tinkering with Care in Human-Elephant Interactions
In the Valparai plateau in southern India, encounters between people and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are common and sometimes they result in conflict. Building on almost a year of fieldwork, this book presents a polyvocal account of how the Nature Conservation Foundation along with other…
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Book
Gender and Inclusive Development
Gender and Inclusive Development offers a timely and comprehensive exploration of gender mainstreaming across diverse sectors, domains, and regions. Drawing on global experiences and grounded in the framework of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals — particularly SDG 5 — this volume critically examines…
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Chapter in a Book
Researching with Children Diagnosed with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in India: A Reflective Account
Children’s participation in research has evolved significantly in recent times, reflecting a shift from their historical exclusion. Ethical and scientific advancements have encouraged researchers to engage with children as active contributors to knowledge. In psychology, children’s involvement in research has improved the understanding of their…
- Dey, A., Pal, M., Nandi, D., & Basu, A. (2026). Reconstruction of the genetic history of the Austro-Asiatic- and Dravidian-speaking tribal populations of South Asia. iScience, 29(4), 115241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.115241
- Mathai, S. (2026). Hybrid Disciplinary Spaces: Navigating Writing in a Science Education Classroom. Contemporary Education Dialogue. https://doi.org/10.1177/09731849261428322
- Abraham, R., Anjum, N., Lahoti, R., & Swaminathan, H. (2026). What Did They Say? Respondent Identity, Question Framing and the Measurement of Employment. The World Bank Economic Review. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhag001
- Nagendra, H. (2026). Madhav Dhananjaya Gadgil (1942 – 2026). Current Science, Personal News, 130(6), 570 – 571. https://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/130/06/0570.pdf
Featured Faculty Stories
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Piecing Together a Forgotten Part of Rayalaseema’s History
Chakali Chandra Sekhar is recovering the overlooked history of Dalit Protestant Christianity in Rayalaseema through archival research and oral traditions
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Revisiting India’s Street Vendors Act 12 Years Later
The gap between the promise of the Street Vendors Act, 2014 and the everyday realities of vendors is a key focus area for Annapurna Neti, Puja Guha, and Rajesh Joseph, writes Meryl Garcia.
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Chemistry vs Carbon dioxide: Challenges in a Catalytic World
Aditi Chandrasekar deploys her computational skills to tackle a familiar problem in catalytic chemistry— getting carbon dioxide to react.
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How pop-science got us closer to solving a big solar mystery
Murthy O V S N and Piyali Chatterjee on how a young girl’s observation sparked off an unusual discovery around spicules — jets of plasma ejected from the sun’s surface
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Forget Me Knot: A Mathematician’s Lasting Tryst with Knot Theory
Forty years since the discovery of the Jones Polynomial, Shantha Bhushan reflects on her enduring relationship with knots and braids.







