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Overview

The Social and Behavioural Sciences (SBS) PhD program will provide core education common to addressing social and behavioural issues. PhD students who enroll in coursework will develop expertise in:

The program is designed to train researchers in three areas:

Our Ph.D. fellows will be working in teams of students and expert researchers in projects that promote women’s empowerment and rural development by implementing social solutions. For example, life skills courses and vocational skills are provided and are geared towards supporting personal growth and healthy community development.

About the Program

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Amritapuri

Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) PhD program provides core education essential for addressing social and behavioral issues. PhD students who enroll in this coursework will develop expertise in:

  • Analyzing major social factors affecting population well-being (e.g., identifying systemic determinants of inequality).
  • Applying systems theory to effect social change.
  • Designing intervention programs.
  • Research methodology and impact evaluation

The program trains researchers in three key areas:

  • Understanding the factors underlying the social issue you aim to solve.
  • Designing and implementing theory-based interventions.
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and policies.

Our Ph.D. fellows work in teams of students and expert researchers on projects promoting women’s empowerment and rural development by implementing social solutions. Examples include life skills and vocational skills courses, which support personal growth and healthy community development.

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Coimbatore

Social and Behavioural Science is an overlapping discipline of Sociology, Psychology and other social science subjects which helps in understanding and predicting human behaviour. The School of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham provide opportunities to work with other human sciences with an interdisciplinary approach. The program understands the need for comprehending social trends but to emerge as highly valued individuals with research and analytical skills.

The program provides the scholars to develop sensitivity to the issues and opportunity to engage in discussions and activities with regulatory bodies for health, community development and Child Rights and Child Protection.

The program is dedicated to ensuring the use of cutting-edge research tools for identifying social problems and execute innovative solutions. This program aims to develop the skills required for social scientists most sought out by organisations nowadays. The program will enable the social scientists in developing analytical skills, research, human resource exercises and empathetic skills to solve challenges in the society.

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Faridabad

Our Social Sciences campus is located at the Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, the largest multispecialty private hospital in India. Amrita School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Faridabad is a constituent unit of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, who’s Director, Dr. Rao R. Bhavani, holds India’s only UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

With a built-up area of more than 85,000 square feet, the Faridabad campus provides state of the art teaching-learning facilities for the students that include digital classrooms and computer labs, as well as access and exposure to multi-disciplinary specialty fields in areas of medicine, technology, social sciences, and more. The Faridabad campus also has the unique advantage of being within the Delhi NCR area with close connections to high-profile offices at the Government of India, United Nations, and other leading organizations. Further, with Amrita’s commitment of service to society and the country’s most vulnerable populations, students will have the opportunity to work with local communities in and around Haryana state, including rural and urban areas, tribal and other marginalized communities, and vulnerable populations from across the social spectrum.

Attention Please !

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has not appointed any agent or third-party representative within India for admissions to any programme. Students residing in India are advised not to make payments or seat reservation advances to any individual or organization claiming to offer admission assistance for Amrita campuses.

For international admissions, the University may work with authorized overseas representatives in select countries. International applicants are advised to verify the credentials of such representatives through official Amrita communication channels before proceeding with applications or payments.
– Issued in Public Interest by Directorate of Admissions and Academic Outreach

Admission

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Amritapuri

Eligibility

Applicants from a wide range of academic disciplines can apply, including Sociology, Psychology, Pedagogy, Anthropology, Economics, Social Work. Completed a Master’s degree or must be in their final semester of Master’s program in any of the academic disciplines mentioned above.

PhD Eligibility Criteria as per University Guidelines

  • Minimum percentage of marks in PG: 60%
Coimbatore

Eligibility

Postgraduate in any discipline of Social Science, Social Work, Psychology and Development studies.

Our Chancellor

Compassion Driven Research lies at the Core of Amrita’s value and identity.

There are two kinds of poverty. The poverty that comes with the lack of food, clothing and shelter. The second kind of poverty is the lack of love and compassion. If we address the second kind of poverty first, we automatically address the first kind of poverty.

– Amma

Important Note

Phase 2 Admissions Open Apply on or before 31st October 2026

    Download Brochure





    Program Overview

    How to Apply?
    List of Facilities / Research Infrastructure

    Amritapuri

    Name of the Research Lab

    Major Facilities / Equipment Details

    Skill Intelligence Lab Interdisciplinary research at the laboratory

    will study the complexity of skills and their enhancement through teaching,based on models of skill learning.

    Major Domains:

    1.HAPTICS – TeslaSuit-2, SenseGlove DK1-2,Bar Bending Simulator.

    2.GAZE & MOTION CAPTURE – Tesla Suit – 2,

    Rokoko IMU based Smartsuit with Gloves-2.

    3.VR & AR – Hololens-3, Oculus Quest 2.

    4.NEUROCOGNITION – Brain Products EEG, Analyser & Recorder softwares, -2.

    5. SYSTEMS – Powerful Gaming Laptops, Al & Data Science Workstations,Cloud Services-Google/AWS,

    Network Attached Storage.

    Skill eLab Learning technology services and research for skill development VR Headsets

    Unity3D/ VR computers

    Video Production Equipments

    Audio Production Studio and Equipments

    Coimbatore

    Name of the Research Lab
    Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Participating Institute – Field Action Project in 5 selected villages in Coimbatore. (Pitchanur, Kaliyapuram, Ambedkar Colony, MGR Colony, Veerapanur)
    Fundings / Projects: (Ongoing)

    Amritapuri

    Title of the Project Funding Agency
    Skill Labs for VET – Design, Development and Rollout of Advanced learning technologies – Simulations, AR, VR for training vocational courses Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
    Blended Learning for Vocational Courses – Designing effective video and interactive videos for vocational courses National Media Instructional Institute, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
    Skill-eLabs for Secondary school children -Design and Development and Rollout of Simulation based virtual skill labs for secondary school children Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

    Coimbatore

    Title of the Project Funding Agency
    Strengthening Social Policy Initiatives to End Violence Against Children UNICEF

    Faculty

    Dr. Bhavani Rao
    Dr. Bhavani Rao

    Dean,
    Schools of Social & Behavioral Sciences (Amritapuri & Coimbatore)

    Intake Capacity : 1

    Dr. Lisa M. Frey
    Dr. Lisa M. Frey

    Professor,
    Department of Cognitive Sciences and Psychology, School of Social & Behavioural Sciences, Amritapuri

    Intake Capacity : 7

    Dr. Parvathy V.
    Dr. Parvathy V.

    Chairperson,
    Department of Social Sciences, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amritapuri

    Intake Capacity : 0

    Dr. V. S. Kochukrishna Kurup
    Dr. V. S. Kochukrishna Kurup

    Vice Principal, School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Amritapuri | Vice Principal, School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Faridabad | Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Amritapuri
    Intake Capacity : 0

    Dr. Yamuna N. K.
    Dr. Yamuna N. K.

    Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Amritapuri

    Intake Capacity : 2

    Dr. Victoria Ustenko
    Dr. Victoria Ustenko

    Associate Professor,
    Economic Development, Economics and Culture, Public Administration and Civil Service, Ethical Systems, Social Research

    Intake Capacity : 5

    Dr. Vivek S.
    Dr. Vivek S.

    Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Amritapuri
    Intake Capacity : 3

    Dr.HariKrishnan U
    Dr.HariKrishnan U

    Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Amritapuri
    Intake Capacity : 1

    Dr. J. Sophie von Lieres
    Dr. J. Sophie von Lieres

    Assistant Professor, Department of Cognitive Sciences and Psychology, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amritapuri
    Intake Capacity : 1

    Dr. Srividya Sheshadri
    Dr. Srividya Sheshadri

    Assistant Professor,
    Department of Social Sciences, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amritapuri

    Intake Capacity : 2

    Dr. Drishti Marwaha
    Dr. Drishti Marwaha

    Post-Doctoral Fellow,
    Medicine and Public Health Policy, Economics of Healthcare, Educational Research
    Intake Capacity : 2

    Dr. Reshma Raj
    Dr. Reshma Raj

    Vice Chairperson, Department of Social Sciences
    Intake Capacity : 4

    Dr. Nisanth M.
    Dr. Nisanth M.

    Assistant Professor (Sr. Gd.), Department of Social Sciences
    Intake Capacity : 4

    Dr. Nikhil Prabhu
    Dr. Nikhil Prabhu

    Assistant Professor
    Intake Capacity : 4

    Faculty

    Dr. V. Priya
    Dr. V. Priya

    Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Coimbatore.
    Intake Capacity : 0

    Dr. S. Kanagaraj
    Dr. S. Kanagaraj

    Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Coimbatore
    Intake Capacity : 1

    Dr. Rajeev Ramakrishnan
    Dr. Rajeev Ramakrishnan

    Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore
    Intake Capacity – 3

    Dr. Dipanjan Bhattacharjee
    Dr. Dipanjan Bhattacharjee

    Assistant Professor
    Intake Capacity : 1

    Dr. Mukil M. V.
    Dr. Mukil M. V.

    Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Coimbatore
    Intake Capacity : 4

    Faculty

    Dr. Christopher Coley
    Dr. Christopher Coley

    Head of Department,
    Public Policy, Implementation Sciences, Gender Equality and Policy, Critical Masculinities, Mixed-methods Research, School of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Faridabad

    Intake Capacity : 3

    Dr. Nimita Pandey
    Dr. Nimita Pandey

    Assistant Professor,
    Policy Research,
    Equity & Inclusion in STI,
    Innovation & Sustainable Development, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Faridabad

    Intake Capacity : 3

    Research Interest

    Sl. No. Faculty Name Current Intake Capacity as on Oct 2026 Campus Research interests and areas Industry, government, or international collaborations relevant to Ph.D. research Notable, Awards, recognitions, or Patents
    1 Dr. Bhavani Rao 1 Amritapuri Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality; Learning Technologies; Vocational and Educational Training; AI and Robotics for social good; Disaster Risk Management Author of 100+ publications and numerous patents related to vocational skills and haptics. Work recognized by international and national awards. Led numerous field and research projects funded by international and national institutions, including UNESCO, UNDEF, UNICEF, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Science & Technology (DST), NSDC, NABARD, and foreign institutions since 2009. Publication of two UNESCO Books: “Transforming MENtalities: Gender Equality & Masculinities in India;” and “A Braided River: The Universe of Indian Women in Science”
    2 Dr. Sophia 1 Amritapuri Research interests: Dr. Sophia von Lieres specializes in mental health research, including psychological coping and protective factors that promote mental health among neurodivergent people; cross-cultural neurodiversity research; empathy and autism; autistic communication, as well as validating psychometric scales for the Indian cultural context.

    Research Projects & Opportunities for PhD Students:

    Dr. Sophia von Lieres welcomes PhD students with a strong background in Psychology who are neurodivergent. She is currently seeking PhD students to join the research projects listed below. Candidates will undertake their doctoral research on a topic aligned with, and contributing to, one of these projects.

    1. Cross-cultural research on coping and protective factors that keep autistic people mentally healthy

    This collaborative study between Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (India) and LMU München (Germany) shifts autism research from a deficit framework to a strengths-based neurodiversity paradigm. Utilizing a mixed-methods design, it investigates how cultural context influences protective factors, personal strengths, and coping mechanisms (e.g., stimming, special interests) in autistic individuals, which can then be fostered. The project aims to produce culturally affirmative mental health interventions, foster autism acceptance in society, and foster a positive self-identity in autistic people.

    2. Experiences and expression of empathy in autistic people

    This mixed-methods research project directly challenges the pervasive myth that autistic individuals lack empathy. Combining quantitative correlation (Basic Empathy Scale and RAADS-14) with qualitative lived-experience narratives, the study investigates how the double-empathy problem is experienced cross-culturally and what the unique autistic expressions of empathy are. Additionally, the project validates the Munich Autism Questionnaire for the Indian context, delivering culturally responsive toolkits for educators and families while reducing internalized and externalized stigma.

    3. Autistic communication

    This is a project that a PhD student could take on as their own, as it has not yet started. The goal is to develop a training toolkit for non-autistic people so that they learn how to better communicate with autistic people. Similar to hearing parents of deaf children having to learn sign language, non-autistic parents of autistic children need to learn autistic communication. In this way, autistic communication is not seen as a deficit but as a different but valid form of communication.
    Currently collaborating with the Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich, Germany, and awaiting funding from the ICSSR for a joint Indo-German funding opportunity
    3 Dr. LM (Malini) Frey 1 Amritapuri Dr. Malini invites students interested in research that bridges psychology, neuroscience, and mind-body health to uncover and cultivate methods by which to build lasting psychological strength across the lifespan.

    Her work spans diverse populations – from young children and vulnerable youth in childcare homes/institutions, to adolescents, college students, adults, and CRPF personnel. Beyond investigating how psychological/mental distress and disasters (such as COVID-19) impact overall wellbeing, she designs practical, evidence-based interventions such as: resiliences workshops for youth and young adults, preventive as well as uplifting strategies for at-risk populations to cultivate a sense of self-worth, confidence, and positive futures, and interactive storytelling programs that teach higher values to chlidren.

    She is very interested in the intersection of psychospiritual values and daily life, hence, her work also explores how alignment with lifestyle ethics (e.g., Dharma) can foster lasting peace-of-mind, happiness, and wellbeing, as well fostering ethical integrity in research.
    2019-2020 – UNICEF project, Project & Clinical Director
    2020 – Covid-19 Mental Health Helpline; clinical director and trainer of volunteers to help persons suffering psychologically in the wake of India’s initial, sudden national lockdown.
    2020-2022: Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF): part of a team that developed an intervention program to reduce gender and masculinites challenges, mental health issues, and excessive suicides. Team Lead and designer of the Mental Health part of this holistic, comprehensive program.
    2022-2023: Mental Health lead for India’s C20 (component of G20); Health Working Group. Massive global outreach to connect with CSOs and experts regarding mental health interventions and needs, designed and moderated webinars, participated in offline events (in different states of India) and many online events with varied countries (e.g., Unkraine, China, US, African countries, Mexico, Germany, Czech Republic, etc.).
    2026: DST (Department of Science & Technology). Team member to develop methods to reduce academic student stress. Focus: impart knowledge and understanding among students to develop self-understanding and compassion, and to learn fortitude, confidence, and equinimity. This project utilizes technology such as ECG, GSR, EEG, and others (3-year project).
    4 Dr. Drishti 1 Amritapuri women’s empowerment, gender, health economics, health systems , policy, vulnerability mapping, health outcomes recipient of ICSSR funding for project Building Grassroots Community Capacity: Evaluating the Impact of a Blended Digital–Practical Training Curriculum to Reduce Preventable Blindness in Rural India in Wayanad $
    5 Dr. Kochukrishnan Kurup 0 Amritapuri Child Rights and child Protection, Corporate Social Responsibility, School counselling, Human resource Management State Governing Body Member of Keralam Association of Professional Social Workers.(KAPS).
    Awards/ Honor: Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Member- Kearala (2019 to 2022)
    6 Dr. Parvathy V 0 Amritapuri Health & Wellbeing
    Application of Strengths perspective
    Resilience & Alcohol misuse
    Spirituality in social work & Self-development
    Social Work Research
    University Grants Commission (India) Junior and Senior Research Fellowship in Social Work (2015- 2020)
    7 Dr. Harikrishnan U 1PT Amritapuri Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Psychiatric Social Work, Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management, Gender-Based Viloence, Family Therapy, Social Work Education
    8 Dr. Yamuna N. K. 3 Amritapuri Community Development, Aging, women, Children, family Rural develpment dept, social justice dept,local self govt
    9 Dr. Vivek S. 0 Amritapuri Education : Digital Education,
    Technology-Enhanced Learning,
    Educational Technology,
    Digital Learning Technology Integration
    Spirituality and Social Work
    Indianization in Social Work Practice and Education
    Indigenous Innovation, Technology and Development (IKS)
    Sustainable Development Management Technology-Enhanced Learning; Knowledge Management; Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS); Community Education
    2012 to Ongoing : 14 years plus Research and Teaching Experience , Q1 and Q2 Research publications , Book chapters
    2015 to 2017 : Lay Counselling Project in collabration with MAM Trivandrum Chapter
    2025 BOS member of Social Work Program , Kannur University and MG university , Kerala
    10 Dr. Gaurang 3 Amritapuri
    11 Dr. Srividya Sheshadri 0 Amritapuri Research Areas & Opportunities for PhD Students

    Dr. Sheshadri welcomes PhD students in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Public Policy, and related fields. Students with data science or AI backgrounds are welcome where there is a strong interest in real-world social applications and collaborative or co-supervision arrangements.

    1. Systems Approaches to Women’s Empowerment

    This research develops and applies systems-oriented frameworks to understand how women’s empowerment unfolds within interconnected social, economic, environmental, and institutional contexts. This includes designing empowerment measurement frameworks (e.g., the AWESOME model), studying feedback loops that shape agency and participation, and evaluating long-term outcomes of women-centered interventions. PhD students may work on conceptual modeling, mixed-methods research, and empirical evaluation of empowerment processes in rural and underserved communities.

    2. Technology-Enabled Implementation & Field Systems

    This stream examines how digital tools and AI-assisted systems can strengthen implementation, reporting, and participatory processes in development programs. Current work includes evaluating AI-assisted field reflection and documentation tools, designing low-burden digital systems for community reporting, and studying how technology shapes accountability, participation, and learning in field teams. The focus is on application, evaluation, and ethical deployment in real-world settings rather than technical AI development.

    3. Community Development & Sustainable Livelihoods

    This area focuses on designing and evaluating community-based interventions aimed at strengthening livelihoods, ecological resilience, and women’s leadership. Projects examine agroforestry and land-based livelihood systems, coastal and climate-resilient income models, community-level institutional strengthening, and determinants of long-term sustainability in development programs. PhD students may engage in impact evaluation, behavioral analysis, institutional studies, or mixed-methods field research.
    Tel Aviv University, Israel; University of Groningen, Netherlands; Aarhus University, Denmark Recipient of ICSSR funding for study entitled, “Collective Efficacy in Action: A Retrospective Study of Women’s Leadership in Sanitation and Environmental Stewardship Under the Amala Bharatam Campaign.”
    Research contributions to several QI Journal Publications
    Currently serve as the Associate Director of the Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality
    12 Dr. Victoria 5 Amritapuri Development Economics: Designing and evaluating interventions aimed at poverty alleviation, gender empowerment, and the creation of sustainable livelihoods. Current projects open to PhD student involvement include evaluating the determinants of success of tree and intercropping farming systems in tribal communities in Odisha (WADI project), and designing an incentive scheme to engage women in coastal areas in seaweed farming (Blue is the New Pink project).

    Gender and Water Systems: Studying the determinants of safe water management practices using behavioural change frameworks, and designing interventions that strengthen women’s roles in community water governance. This work focuses on how social norms, risk perceptions, and institutional trust influence household water treatment, water safety behaviours, and collective action. Current projects open to PhD student involvement include designing evaluating interventions that train women as Water Ambassadors to deliver water quality information, support behaviour change at the household level, and mobilize communities to take collective action to improve water quality and access, in collaboration with researchers from Tel Aviv University and Delft University of Technology.

    AI and Civic Participation in Governance: Developing and applying computational social science methods to understand how citizens frame public problems and how these perspectives can be meaningfully integrated into policy processes. This work applies natural language processing to examine values, concerns, and priorities expressed by citizens, and to study how these inputs align — or fail to align — with public policy agendas. We are currently open to PhD students interested in examining how citizen perspectives are reflected across different types of government policies, particularly in domains such as environmental protection, gender equality, and other areas of social and public policy, with a special focus on rural and underserved communities.
    Tel Aviv University, Israel; Delft University of Technology, Netherlands; University of Groningen, Netherlands Associate Editor of Frontiers in Water (Section: Water and Human Systems), a Q1 journal (Impact Factor 2.8; CiteScore 5.5), contributing to the advancement of interdisciplinary research on water governance, human systems, and sustainability.

    Research contributions include Q1 publications advancing transformer-based topic modeling approaches (e.g., BERTopic) for the analysis of citizen perspectives, policy framing, and governance processes, positioning computational social science methods within public policy and development research.

    Demonstrated impact on public policy design through six government-funded research grants (2015–2020) awarded by the Government of Russia focused on innovation systems, human capital development, and science and technology policy, supporting evidence-informed policy formulation at national level.

    Held the position of Senior Researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences, contributing to research on innovation systems, technological foresight, and responses to global challenges through science and innovation policy.

    Currently serves as Research Head of the Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (CWEGE), which holds the UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality, coordinating interdisciplinary research on gender, water governance, and inclusive development.
    13 Dr. Nishanth Pillai 2 Amritapuri Education with a focus on rural and tribal communities,
    Child Rights and Child Development,
    Child Care and Child Protection,
    Rural and Tribal Community Development,
    Agrarian Issues and their impact on rural families.
    14 Dr. Nikhil Prabhu 4 Amritapuri Neural basis of cognition, and movements using fMRI, elecrophysiology, EEG and psychophysics International collaborations in the pipeline MedTech startup fellow, Tuebingen, Germany; Young Entrepreneurs in Science (YES) fellow, Germany; Rothberg International School fellow, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
    15 Dr. Reshma R 4 Amritapuri Citizen science & water governance
    Training rural and coastal women as community water monitors; studying enablers and barriers to safe water practices in low-resource settings using participatory and behavioural change approaches.

    Gendered livelihoods & blue economy
    Examining women’s participation in aquaculture — especially seaweed farming — as a climate-resilient coastal livelihood. Research explores agency, economic empowerment, ecological stewardship, and barriers to women’s entry and leadership in the blue economy.

    Community sustainable livelihoods
    Designing and evaluating community-based interventions for ecological resilience and income sustainability — including agroforestry, coastal livelihood systems, and vocational skill development for underserved women.

    Women’s empowerment & implementation science
    Evaluating the processes and outcomes of women-centered development programs; applying systems thinking to understand how empowerment unfolds across social, institutional, and environmental dimensions in rural communities.
    Tel Aviv University, Israel — Ongoing research partnership on women-led water quality monitoring (Women in Sustaining the Environment Initiative; Joint Clean Water Initiative)

    Delft University of Technology, Netherlands — Collaboration on water governance and behavioural change frameworks
    Published in ACS ES&T Water (Q1) on reliable water quality monitoring by women in low-resource communities; multiple contributions to IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference proceedings (2021–2025).

    Co-authored research on coastal livelihoods and conservation frameworks (IEEE GHTC 2025), and machine-learning-assisted community readiness diagnostics for water governance.

    16 Dr. Priya V 0 Ettimadai Women and Child Mental Health, Women Empowerment
    17 Dr. S. Kanagaraj 0 Ettimadai  Sustainable Rural Development,
     GIS & Rural Development,
     Social Welfare Policy,
     Disaster Management,
     Women Empowerment,
     Youth Development,
     Disability Issues,
     Self Help Groups (SHGs),
     Social Mobilization,
     Tribal development.
    ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research), Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (Govt. of India)  Received AIRA (Amrita Innovation & Research Awards) Publication Merit Award for the publications in 2022
     Received Best Faculty Award in recognition of outstanding dedication, mentorship, and lasting impacting on students on 06th January 2026 *. Co-PI (Co – Principal investigator) for the ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Science Research) Ministry of Education, Government of India, Major research project “Temple Festivals, Social Cohesion, and Community Development in the Sub-cultural Regions of Tamil Nadu and Kerala” under ICSSR Major Research Projects (2024-25) sanctioned Rs.16,50,000/- File No. 19/2024-25/ICSSR/RP/MJ/OBC Dated: 07.03.2025
    18 Dr. Dipanjan Bhattacharjee 0 Ettimadai
    19 Dr. Rajeev Ramakrishnan 1 Ettimadai Child Rights, SDGs, Tribal Development, Sustainable Development
    Technological Interventions for Marginalised development
    Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Social Justice
    ICSSR
    AIRA 2025
    20 Dr. Mukil M V 1 Ettimadai Environmental psychology, Behavioral Design, Human Centric Design, Design for Sustainability, Indian Knowledge Systems (Temple Design), Product Design and Development DST, ICSSR, Ministry of Education (IKS Division), JSPS (Japan), John Templeton Foundation. Q1 Journal Publications: Recognized for high-impact research in top-tier Springer and Elsevier journals on culture-driven sustainability and human-nature connectedness.

    Cultural Expert & Media Panelist: Invited Judge and Panelist for Amrita TV’s “Sreshtabharatam” (Season 2), serving as a subject matter expert on Indian Temple Architecture and Aesthetics.

    Environment & Disasters Track Co-Chair: Served as a Co-Chair for the Environment & Disasters Track of C20 India, steering global policy recommendations on environmental preservation and disaster resilience.
    21 Dr. Radhika Mohan 4 Ettimadai Psychological resilience, Gender Studies, Mental Health and Behavioural Interventions Sameekshanam:Be Calm, Be Compassionate Project
    22 Dr. Nimita Pandey 3 Faridabad Innovation Systems, Social impacts of emerging technologies, STI Policy, Gender and STEM ICSSR
    NITI Aayog
    Department of S&T, Government of India
    UNESCO New Delhi
    Northwestern University (Qatar Campus)
    STI Policy Postdoctoral Fellowship 2020 supported by Department of Science & Technology, Government of India

    Contributed to national and state policy processes, including leading the chapter on Equity and Inclusion in the forthcoming National STI Policy of India as well as in State S&T policy of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

    Coordinated and co-led the ‘Education and Skill Development’ subtheme of the C20 Working Group on ‘Gender Equality’, under India’s G20 Presidency 2022-23

    Projects:
    (a) Co-PI of “Spread and Influence of Hirkani’s Legend on Breastfeeding Working Mothers in
    Maharashtra” Research Project, awarded by ICSSR, Govt of India under the “Punyashloka Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Special Call for Women-Led Research on Women-Led Development” (2025-26)
    (b) Co-PI for the Assessment Studies on (i) ‘Role of Incubators in success of startups’ and (ii) ‘Enhancement of Employment Opportunities’ under Smart Cities Mission, supported by
    Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Govt. of India (2023-24)


    Membership/other Positions:
    – Member, National Policy Research Network, constituted at the Centre for Science and Technology
    Policy (CSTP), Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Govt. of India (October 2024-Till date]
    – Member, UNESCO Women for Ethical AI South Asia Chapter (December 2024 – Till Date)
    – Lifetime Member, Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi, India (June 2021)
    – Member/Alumnus, Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence
    Building Systems (GLOBELICS), Economics Institute – IE/UFRJ; Federal University of Rio de Janeiro,
    Brazil (2017 – Till Date)
    – Member, Science and Democracy Network, Harvard University (May 2019 – till date)

    Publications in form of books, reviews, book chapters and articles in reputed journals. Served as Guest Topic Editor, Frontiers special issue: Engaging Scientific Diasporas for Development: Policy and
    Practices (May 2021 – April 2022) and Associate Editor, Science Diplomacy Review journal (November 2018 – March 2020)
    23 Dr. Christopher Coley 0 Faridabad Sustainable Development, Implementation Sciences, Gender Equality, Critical Masculinities Part of the team which published two UNESCO Books: “Transforming MENtalities: Gender Equality & Masculinities in India;” and “A Braided River: The Universe of Indian Women in Science.”
    Significant contributions to the UNDEF-funded Women’s Empowerment projects in 2012-14 and 2017-19, including grant-writing, deployment, research & evaluation, and publications.
    Researcher and field team member on multiple women’s empowerment projects from 2012-present, including WE:Sanitation 1 & 2 where I acted a Zonal Lead for the Western Zone.
    Ongoing Gender Sensitization curriculum development and upcoming deployments across multiple contexts, including for the CRPF and Amrita University faculty and students.
    24 Dr. Parvathy Viswanath 4 Ettimadai Positive psychology, Social-Emotional Learning, Character strengths and virtues, Cross-cutural values In pipeline Postdoctoral fellowhip, joint collaboration between Christ University, India and University of Virginia, USA; Patent filed on cognitive appraisal model for social entrepreship education; Q1 and Q2 oublications in the broader area of positive social development

    Scholarship and Other Benefits

    Minimum ₹30,000 monthly scholarship (min. ₹35,000 for Engg, CS & AI programs), increasing to ₹55,000 per month. Valid for selected programs
    Up to ₹10 Lakhs research infrastructure support
    Up to ₹6 Lakhs publication support
    Eligible candidates are provided scholarships upto Rs. 43,750/- per month under “Visvesvaraya Ph.D scheme” MeitY, GoI
    International conference and research travel funding
    Global collaborative research opportunities
    Patent and intellectual property support
    Startup incubation and entrepreneurship mentoring
    Additional tuition fee waiver for eligible women scholars

    *Applicable Programs.

    Fee Structure

    Fees mentioned beside are current. The University reserves the right to alter fees at any time without notice.

    Program Fees
    CAMPUS TUITION FEES
    PER YEAR
    TUITION FEES
    TOTAL
    Amritapuri 30,000 *

    Why Amrita

    The top reasons to choose Amrita for your career

    2nd

    In India

    37

    In the World

    601-800th

    World University Rankings 2020

    141

    BRICS

    8th

    India University Rankings 2025

    Overall Rankings 2025

    Overall Rankings 2025
    ranking
    8th Ranked
    University in India
    ranking
    Amrita Ranked No.2 in India and 37th in the World
    ranking
    Topmost
    ‘A++’ Grade

    Contact

    PhD Office, (Amritapuri/Faridabad),
    School of Social and Behavioral science,
    Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, India
    ssbs_pgp@am.amrita.edu

    Ph.D. Coordinator
    ( Coimbatore)

    Dr. Priya V
    Assistant Professor (Sr. Gr)
    E Mail ID: v_priya@cb.amrita.edu 

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