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I am a sociologist and social development practitioner working largely on wellbeing. My present thinking on wellbeing weaves together a foundational training in inclusive mental health practice with almost 25 years’ experience in programmatic interventions and research on wellbeing and poverty, mental health, disability, gender, children’s lives, and disaster reconstruction. While life stories are the primary medium through which I explore these themes, I combine this focus on individuals’ subjective experiences with rigorous attention to their socio-cultural and structural contexts. To these I apply theory from sociology, anthropology, and psychology to understand systemic inequity and its effects on individual and community wellbeing.

My work has involved extensive field research – both qualitative and mixed-methods; team management; capacity strengthening; participatory evaluation; programme design; service delivery; and advocacy. Experience across India, South Asia, UK, and Zambia informs my cross-cultural sensitivity. My present interest lies in translating wellbeing concepts into practical frameworks for implementation and evaluation. I hold a PhD in the Sociology of Development (2018) and MSc in Wellbeing and Human Development (2008), both from the University of Bath, UK and a Diploma in Counselling Skills from Saarthak, New Delhi, India (2001).