Development geographer primarily interested in urban India, the poor, NGOs and policymakers, with specialism in improving access to housing, challenging urban & gender politics and exploring issues surrounding inequality and social justice. Specialising in cities and everyday living, relationships between theory, policy processes and practice. Mainly qualitative research capturing knowledge on lived experiences of the poor.  Research approach is based on understanding how power and structural inequalities (class, gender, race, age) interact to produce disparities.

Key Areas of Research:

• Ageing & Widowhood
• BAME Gig Workers in London (Labour Geographies and the Platform economy)
• Community participation and participatory development
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Gender (Feminist and emotional geographies)
• Local Grassroots Non-Governmental Organisation
• Informal housing

Research Funding

British Academy, British Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Department for International Development, Development Studies Association and the Swedish Research Council. 

EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS

Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil), University of Oxford, Wingate Scholar, thesis awarded the Eileen Younghusband Memorial Award by London School of Economics and Political Science.

Masters in Public Administration (M.P.A) University of Liverpool.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A), Ruia College, University of Bombay (India) with Economics, Political Science & Sociology.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

August 2015 – present   Senior Lecturer (100%), Dept. of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London.

Sept. 2004 – July 2015   Senior Lecturer (60%) Dept. of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London.

Jan 1996 - Aug 2004* Lecturer, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London. *(includes two periods of maternity leave).

May 1992 – Dec 1995 Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES

English, Hindi, & Marathi

TEACHING

Twenty-five years of experience of teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I am a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA).

First Year Tutorials:

GG2003: Field Training: Human & Environmental Geography field trip to Malawi, Kenya & Cyprus

GG2071: Perspectives on Development

GG3001 & GG3005: Supervising Undergraduate Dissertation & with placement

GG3083: Cities and Development in the Global South

GG5012:  MSc Global Futures: Justice, Development & Sustainability & MSc Sustainability & Management

Masters Dissertation Supervision

PHD SUPERVISION

I have supervised 12 PhD students to completion.  I'm always excited to hear from people interested in working at the intersection of geography and other disciplines, especially around themes of my research interest (see above).

EDITOR OF HANDBOOKS

• Companion to Development Studies (2002, 2008, 2014, forthcoming 2023), Routledge.
• Doing Development Research (2006), Sage Publications.
• The Handbook of Displacement (2020), Palgrave Publications.

CURRENT EXTERNAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• 2021-2024   Elected Councillor & Trustee, Royal Geographical Society (RGS) with the Institute of British Geographers (IBG) and Research & Higher Education Committee.
• 2016 - Present    Chair (since 2021) & Founding committee member, Royal Geographical Society’s Race Culture and Equality Working Group.
• 2023 onwards Fellow/Member of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Talent Peer Review College (PRC). The UKRI Talent PRC supports the Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF), Innovation Scholars and future UKRI collective talent initiatives. 
• 1999 - Present     Member of international advisory editorial board of the journal ‘Progress in Development Studies’.

CURRENT RESPONSIBILITIES AT ROYAL HOLLOWAY

• 2021-2023   Elected member of Royal Holloway Academic Board (key component of University’s governance structures).  Member of the Academic Board Executive Aug 2022- July 2023.
• 2015 - Present  Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead, Geography Department, led a successful Athena Swan application for a Silver award in 2018 and currently leading for renewal in 2023.
• 2014 - Present   Committee member of Race Equality Charter Mark Working Group. One of the first eight universities to have be awarded a bronze level award in U.K (2015).
• 2016 - Present   Development Studies Pathway leader, for Royal Holloway, South East Network for Social Science (SeNSS), member of selection panel for PhD competition at SeNSS.