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Prof. Lavanya Suresh

Associate Professor,
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Decentralization, Political ecology, Public Administration
Cabin no. K108
Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
Hyderabad Campus
Jawahar Nagar, Kapra Mandal
Dist.-Medchal-500 078
Telangana, India

About

Lavanya is currently an Associate Professor at BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad campus. She has worked at BITS from 2017 onwards. After her PhD in Political Science (from ISEC Bangalore), she was an Assistant Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Hyderabad. She was also awarded the visiting research scholar fellowship under the Graduate Development Program of the Watson Institute of International Studies’ at Brown University, USA. Her work focuses on the political ecology of commons in India, with a broader interest in decentralisation and public administration. Besides publications in leading social science journals, she has co-authored a book on “Decentralised Democracy: Gandhi’s Vision and Indian Reality.” She is PI and Co-PI in a number of funded projects and has completed 4 projects successfully. Two of her PhD Scholars have been awarded degrees and she is currently working with five PhD scholars. Their work revolves around different aspects of political ecology.

Positions held in Professional Bodies

  • Elected as Executive Committee member of the Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE) for two consecutive two year terms starting in 2020 - 2024
  • Elected IASC ECN Representative of the Early Carrier Network (ECN) in the International Association for the Study of the Commons from January 15, 2023 to January 14, 2025.
  • Member of International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC)
  • Member of International Political Science Association (IPSA)

Administrative Position held at present in BITS

  • Faculty-in-charge of Publications and Media Relations - First Term - 19th Aug 2022 to 18th Aug 2024, Second Term - 19th Aug 2024 to 18th Aug 2026
  • Editor BITScan 
  • Convener, Departmental Research Committees (DRC), Department of Humanities and Social Sciences from 1st Dec 2022 to 30th Nov 2024.