Dr. Tandon is a globally recognized leader in participatory research and development. He is the Founder-President of Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), a global centre for participatory research and training established in 1982. He also serves as the Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community-Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. As a pioneer in participatory research, Dr. Tandon has redefined the relationship between researchers and those they study. He has served on numerous expert committees for the Government of India, the University Grants Commission, the United Nations, the Commonwealth, and the World Bank. In 2015, the Indian Adult Education Association (IAEA) honoured him with the Nehru Literacy Award.

Email: rajesh.tandon@pria.org

Dr. Hall has spent the past 50 years championing community-based research. He is Co-Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education, a Professor Emeritus with the School of Public Administration and former Dean of Education at the University of Victoria (UVic), Canada. Dr. Hall has played a pivotal role in UVic’s history in community-engaged research, serving as founding director of UVic’s office of community-based research, Canada’s first such office on a university campus. In December 2022, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, in acknowledgement of his contributions, both nationally and globally. He has also served as Secretary-General of the International Council of Adult Education during 1979-1991.

Email: bhall@uvic.ca

Prof. Sonajharia Minz is an academician, trained in mathematics and computer science, who actively engages with issues of the marginalized, women, and Adivasi Dalits. The former vice-chancellor of Sido Kanhu Murmu University (SKMU) is the second tribeswoman, and first from the state of Jharkhand to be appointed as vice chancellor of SKMU, Dumka, Jharkhand. After the successful completion of her term of three years, she returned to her parent institute, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.

Email: sonaminz@mail.jnu.ac.in

Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), is the second female Secretary General of the Association in its 95 years of existence. She has been serving the higher education sector for over three decades in senior positions at the University Grants Commission of India. She is the National Commissioner for Rangers of Bharat Scouts and Guides. She is also a Member of the General Assembly of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi.

Email: pankajugc@gmail.com

Nandita Pradhan Bhatt serves a leadership role at the Martha Farrell Foundation, and its programmes to support informal, migrant workers, and their adolescent children to build their leadership and collective voice against injustice. She has nearly 30 years of experience in promoting gender inclusion in governance, management and leadership of organizations. She specializes in mentoring institutions to create gender equal workplaces, compliant with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Email: nandita.bhatt@pria.org

Dr. Anshuman Karol has 13 years of experience in working across areas of panchayati raj, decentralized planning, devolution, capacity building and training, monitoring and evaluation, and policy advocacy. He has extensively worked around social science research in agriculture and allied sectors. Currently, he is engaged in initiatives on citizen participation, water and sanitation, and decentralized planning.

Email: anushuman.karol@pria.org

Gauri Khanna joined PRIA in January 2024. She is pursuing a Ph.D. with O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat. Before joining the UNESCO Chair team, she worked with Newgen Software Technologies Ltd. She is engaged in research-related activities undertaken by the UNESCO Chair.

Email: gauri.khanna@pria.org

Bindu Baby joined PRIA in 1995. She manages facilities and business development, administration, human resources, contracts, third-party payments, coordination of Governing Board meetings and management of institutional records.

Email: bindu.baby@pria.org

Surjeet Singh joined PRIA in February 2020. He graduated (B.A.) from the University of Delhi. He is responsible for providing support to the President’s Office as well as to the programme management group. He also assists in proposal management and HR functions. Before joining PRIA, he worked with various organizations including the Centre for Development Economics (a research adjunct at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi).

Email: surjeet.singh@pria.org

Sujit Kumar Sourav joined PRIA in March 2013. He graduated from Bhagalpur University, followed by completing his B.C.A. and M.C.A. from IGNOU. He is responsible for designing, updating, and troubleshooting websites. He is also responsible for handling Moodle of PRIA International Academy and databases. He has overall work experience of more than 17 years.

Email: Sujit.sourav@pria.org

Prof. Catherine Krull is a sociology professor at UVic and an adjunct professor of cultural studies at Queen’s University. She is a research fellow at the ILCS, University of London, and part of the UNESCO Chair for the Knowledge for Change Global Consortium. Her research focuses on migration, diasporic cultures, diversity, and reproductive politics.

Email: ckrull@uvic.ca

Maeva Gautheir is an interdisciplinary human geographer and marine ecologist, who uses video to drive change. Since moving to Canada in 2007 for marine ecology studies, she has become a PhD candidate at UVic, engaging Arctic communities on global changes, and a research assistant with the UNESCO Chair in Community-based Research. Co-founder of Live It Earth and the Fish Eye Project, she combines her LATHE Graduate Certificate, Graduate Certificate in Environmental Education and Communication, Masters in Marine Ecology, and BSc in Biology to create impactful environmental outreach through film, presentations, and educational projects.

Email: maeva@uvic.ca