Dean - School of Social Sciences

Email: subir.d@snuniv.ac.in

Prof. Dhar completed his education from Jadavpur University, Denver University and the University of Cambridge. He taught at Rabindra Bharati University for over 35 years, donning various hats there, from Officiating Vice-Chancellor to the Director of its School of Languages and Culture. His scholarly work has taken him all over the country—from Assam to Uttar Pradesh—and all over the world, including the University of Oxford, Ohio State University and the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh.

Dr. Kankana Debnath

Assistant Professor & HOD - Political Science

Doctorate and M.Phil. degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and Masters and Bachelors form Jadavpur University

Email: kankana.d@snuniv.ac.in

Dr. Kankana Debnath, pursued her Doctorate and M.Phil. degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and her Masters and Bachelors form Jadavpur University, Kolkata. The title of her doctorate thesis is “Role of Regional Organizations in Tackling Climate Change in South Pacific Island Countries, 1997 to 2016”. Her area of expertise is Indo-Pacific Studies and Climate Change. She aspires to work on climate change issues which is a very dynamic issue at present. She has spent a month and a half at University of Hawaii, Manoa and East West Centre, Hawaii, USA researching on climate change effects on South Pacific Islands as part of her doctoral research. She has published papers on various topics and subtopics of the above-mentioned discourses. She has presented papers in both national and international conferences and has fulfilled coordination and management roles in several academic programmes, seminars and conferences held in her alma maters. Being a Korean culture enthusiast she has been a Global Honourary Reporter for Korea.net, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Republic of Korea from 2022 to 2024.

Prof. Sanchari Chakraborty

Assistant Professor - Political Science

Pursuing Ph.D from the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, M.Phil. from Jadavpur University

Email: sanchari.c@snuniv.ac.in

Prior to joining the department of Political Science at Sister Nivedita University in the Autumn of 2021, I had been engaged in various teaching assignments at the undergraduate level in the University of Calcutta and West Bengal State University. In the course of these assignments, I taught papers on political theory, international relations and Indian politics and society. Starting in 2022, I am pursuing a Ph.D from the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata, where I am researching the ways in which the twin forces of hunger and scarcity shaped West Bengals post-colonial landscape. I have completed my postgraduate degree in political science from Presidency University, Kolkata and thereafter, I went on to Jadavpur University to pursue my M.Phil. My M.Phil. research investigated the Election Commission of India, its interface with the judiciary and civil society in India and the shaping of the ‘postcolonial voter’ in India. Earlier, my masters level research explored the links between the modern state India, education and citizenship construction. In broad terms, my areas of research interest include: political theory, Indian government and politics, global politics and public policy. I have qualified UGC-NET for the position of Assistant Professor in July 2019.

Sharmin Chowdhury

Visiting Faculty - Political Science

pursuing PhD on the applicability of International Humanitarian Law to Non- International Armed Conflicts from Diamond Harbour Womens University

Email: sharminchowdhury555@gmail.com

Sharmin Chowdhury, a Visiting Faculty in the Department of Political Science has completed her M.Phil in Political Science from Jadavpur University on the topic 'Atrocity crimes and the Responsibility to Protect.' She is currently pursuing PhD on the applicability of International Humanitarian Law to Non- International Armed Conflicts from Diamond Harbour Women's University. An erudite scholar of International Relations, her areas of research includes Atrocity crimes, International Criminal Law and Refugee crisis. She has worked as RUSA Project Assistant in Jadavpur University on the "Issues in Global South: Eastern Perspectives", and has actively participated in National and International Seminars and conferences on her interest areas.

DR. SEEMA DUTTA

Head of Department - Sociology

PhD, MA and MPhil in Sociology from Jadavpur University, Cleared UGC NET in 2011.

Email: seema.d@snuniv.ac.in

Graduated from St. Xavier’s College Kolkata, with Sociology Honors. Completed MA and MPhil in Sociology from Jadavpur University. Cleared UGC NET in 2011. Completed PHD on Tattoo: An Inquiry in its Different Dimension at the Department of Sociology, Jadavpur University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Bipul Kumar Bhadra. Before joining Sister Nivedita University, was engaged as State Aided College Teacher, Category – I at Jogamaya Devi College under Calcutta University. I was also engaged as a Visiting Faculty in the Department of Sociology, Rabindra Bharati University and Jadavpur University. Also taught at a Visiting Faculty at West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences. Research Interest is Sociology of Science Technology and Society, Sociology of Crime and Deviance and Sociology of Gender. Life member Indian Sociological Society. Coordinated the Women Entrepreneurship Development Program, Sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in 2018 at Jogamaya Devi College. Presented papers at various National and International Conferences.

Dr. Nabamita De

Assistant Professor - Sociology

PhD (Jadavpur University), M.A, M.Phil., B.Ed. (wbuttepa), B.A, Sociology Honors (Presidency college, Calcutta University)

Email: nabamita.d@snuniv.ac.in

I have more than 13 years of experience in teaching, research, and academic mentorship. I hold a Ph.D. with JRF (Junior Research Fellow) in Sociology from Jadavpur University, where my doctoral research focused on the perceptions of lifestyle diseases in contemporary Kolkata. My academic journey includes an M.Phil. and M.A. in Sociology from Jadavpur University as well. I have graduated from Presidency College with Sociology Honours and completed schooling from Loreto Sealdah. I have a B.Ed. from Baba Saheb Ambedkar Education University (BSAEU) and currently and I am currently pursuing an M.Ed. from (WBUTTEPA) The West Bengal University of Teachers' Training, Education Planning and Administration.

 Over the years, I have served in various academic capacities, including as an Assistant Professor at Adamas University and currently at Sister Nivedita University, where I teach undergraduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. coursework. I have guided Ph.D. scholars, acted as the cluster head of the Sociology department, and mentored students through co-curricular initiatives. My areas of research include gender studies, public health, religion, and rural tourism, and I have contributed to over a dozen peer-reviewed publications and edited book chapters. I have been invited to deliver lectures at prestigious universities, presented papers at national and international conferences, and taken on academic responsibilities such as external paper setting, developing self-learning materials (SLM) for NSOU, and serving as a counsellor for IGNOU. My career in education and social service began with teaching in remote villages of West Bengal, and that experience continues to shape my enduring commitment to inclusive, student-centered learning and community empowerment.

Dr. Priyanka Dutta

Assistant Professor - Sociology

PhD in Sociology with ICSSR doctoral fellowship from the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore.

Email: priyanka.du@snuniv.ac.in

Dr. Priyanka Dutta has an academic background in Sociology with a focus on gender, labour and development studies. An alumna of the South Point High School, Priyanka has pursued her graduation in Sociology (Hons.) from the Lady Brabourne College, under the University of Calcutta and Post Graduation in Sociology from Calcutta University. She pursued her M.Phil from the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK) and completed her PhD in Sociology with ICSSR doctoral fellowship from the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. Her thesis has been endowed with the prestigious M.N. Srinivas Memorial Award for the best PhD thesis in Sociology. A qualitative sociologist by training, she has more than a decade of research and teaching experience in various states across India working at reputed academic institutions and development organizations like St. Xavier’s University Kolkata, Rabindra Bharati University, Basanti Devi College, Department of Law, Calcutta University, Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS-Bangalore), IFMR, CUTS International, IDSK etc. She has also presented her research work in various seminars and conferences both in India and abroad. Priyanka has also completed a Diploma in Social Work and also has to her credit a four-year diploma in Japanese Language.

Dr. Rikhia Ghoshal

Assistant Professor - Sociology

PhD in Sociology as a UGC NET-JRF scholar in 2021 from Jadavpur University.

Email: rikhia.g@snuniv.ac.in

Dr. Rikhia Ghoshal, prior to joining the Department of Sociology at Sister Nivedita University was working as the Head of the Department of Arts and Assistant Professor in Sociology at Dr. N.S.A.M First Grade College (NITTE Education Trust), Bengaluru where she has conducted a variety of academic programmes such as conferences and Faculty Development Programmes on a national level. She has completed her PhD in Sociology as a UGC NET-JRF scholar in 2021 from Jadavpur University. The title of her thesis is Changing Forms of Discipline and Punishment: A Study of Schools in Kolkata. She has completed her MA in Sociology from Jadavpur University and BA in Sociology Honours from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata as the topper of her batch. She has also completed a one-year Diploma in Applied Sociology from Jadavpur University. She has more than eight years of teaching experience in her career in academics. Her interests lie in areas such as Gender, Childhood and Education to name a few. She has many publications in her name and has also been a reviewer for the Middle East Journal of Management, Inderscience Publishers in 2023.

Nayanika Datta

Visiting Faculty - Sociology

M.A. in Sociology from Jadavpur University

Email:

Nayanika Datta holds a B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Her research interests lie at the intersection of feminist studies on marriage, caste, gender, and sexuality, with a particular focus on gender-based violence. She has qualified the UGC-NTA NET in Sociology and has experience working in the development sector. Nayanika has presented her research at both national and international conferences.

Margaret Singh

Visiting Faculty - Sociology

M.A. in Sociology from Jadavpur University

Email:

Margaret Singh holds a B.A. (Honours) in Sociology from Calcutta University and an M.A. in Sociology from Jadavpur University. She has conducted extensive fieldwork with the Lodha tribe, focusing on health issues among children by assessing local health practices. Additionally, she has worked closely with the Oraon tribe, studying and documenting their traditional food patterns with a special emphasis on nutritional analysis and cultural significance. Her core skills include field research and ethnographic study, report writing and data analysis, as well as conducting community engagement and awareness programs.