Personal profile

Personal profile

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.  My 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 2023 - Present  Professor of Development Geography, Dept. of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London.

August 2015 – July 2023   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

Over 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, some as collaborative PhDs with NGOs.  I'm always excited to hear from students interested in working at the intersection of geography and other disciplines, especially around themes of my research interest (see above).

 

EDITOR OF HANDBOOKS

I have edited three widely used textbooks:

  • Companion to Development Studies (2002, 2008, 2014, forthcoming 2024), 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

  • 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).

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 1 - No Poverty
  • SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
  • SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
  • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
  • SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Education/Academic qualification

DPhil, University of Oxford

1 Oct 19881 May 1992

Award Date: 1 May 1992

External positions

Councillor, Royal Geographical Society-IBG

20212024

Chair & Founding committee member, Race Culture and Equality Working Group, Royal Geographical Society

20162024

Keywords

  • Ageing
  • Informal Housing (slums)
  • NGOs
  • Gender
  • Community Participation
  • Housing
  • Gig Economy

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or