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The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS)
PhD scholars enrolled in Indian institutions/universities working in the fields of humanities and social sciences
Reetika Khera is a Professor of economics at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. In the past, she has been Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, and Assistant Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Delhi. She studied at the Delhi School of Economics (M.A. and Ph.D.) and Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex (M.Phil.). She was a post-doctoral Research Associate at Princeton University where she worked on child nutrition. Before joining IIT-Delhi, she was a visitor at GB Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics and the Planning Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi. Her research areas include social policy in India, including health and nutrition, education, social protection, employment, poverty, inequality, digital technologies in welfare.
Balaji Parthasarathy is a Professor at the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB) since February 2013. He served as the Institute's first Dean (Faculty) from January 2014 until February 2017. In 2012, he also co-founded IIITB's Center for Information Technology and Public Policy. His intellectual interests are rooted in economic geography and economic sociology, and explore the relationships between technological change and innovation, economic globalization, and social transformation. Within this broad focus, his work follows two threads. One thread examines the impacts of public policies and firm strategies on the social and spatial organization of production in the ICT (information and communications technology) industry. Another thread deals with ICTs for Development or ICTD. Here, his interests lie in understanding how ICTs are deployed in various domains of activity to transform social relationships, especially in underprivileged contexts.
Dr Reenu Punnoose
Assistant Professor, Linguistics
The Graduate Research Meet (GRM) is envisioned as a confluence of minds actively engaged in collaborative learning, critique, and intellectual camaraderie. It is expected to be an annual event organised by our research scholars for their peers around the country. In this spirit, we are delighted to host the inaugural edition of our GRM from 11 to 13 December 2025.
As faculty convenor of this event, I have had the pleasure of working with the vibrant research cohort of the department. Their creative ideas, their enthusiasm and their perseverance in building a community of peers through this event inspire me.
To all of you who will be joining us in December in our beautiful campus at the foothills of the Western Ghats, I extend a warm welcome! We are excited to listen to you communicate your research. I am confident that, together, we will all benefit from the experience of shared learning. I wish the event great success and look forward to witnessing its continued growth in the years to come.
Niyati Pavithran
Research Scholar, Cultural Studies
Hello! It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the first Graduate Research Meet organised by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Palakkad.
GRM 2025 is a humble beginning towards building a vibrant platform for young researchers to come together and share ideas, thoughts, and questions, along with building what's paramount for us: community. As a researcher myself, I'm grateful to be part of a team that facilitates dialogue, discussion, and critique. I am proud to represent my wonderful peers—their passion and perseverance in planning this event have inspired me in ways that will certainly last beyond the event. It is our collective hope that this platform continues to grow in the years to come. On behalf of all the research scholars in the department, I warmly welcome all participants to be part of this shared journey.