Directors
Dr. Syed Sultan Kazi
Director & Founder
MPhil, PhD – Governance, JNU; 20+ years in social sector
Shahid Siddique
Director
Board of Advisors
Prof. Dinabandhu Sahoo
Vice Chancellor, Fakir Mohan University, Odisha
Professor of Botany, University of Delhi.
Former Director of the Cluster Innovation Centre, University of Delhi, and of the Institute of Bioresource & Sustainable Development (IBSD), Manipur. Scientific Advisor to the Government of Meghalaya, and Jury Chair of the 7th eNorth East Award Summit 2020 on sustainable development and digital practices in Northeast India.
Dr. Shiladitya Chatterjee
Adviser, Centre for Sustainable Development Goals, Government of Assam
BA – Presidency College, Calcutta; MA – Delhi School of Economics; PhD – Boston University,
International development economist with extensive experience in academia, administration (IAS), and international development (Asian Development Bank). Former economics professor at St. Stephen’s College, Boston University, and University of Massachusetts. Served in the Finance Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office during India’s 1991–94 economic reforms. At ADB, led work on structural reforms, fiscal decentralization, infrastructure, and poverty reduction, and co-created the ADB-UNDP-ESCAP MDG partnership. Currently advises UN-ESCAP and the Government of Assam on SDG implementation.
Dr Sriparna B Baruah
Expert in Entrepreneurship & Livelihood Promotion
She brings 33 years of expertise in management education, SME development, and entrepreneurship promotion, with a strong focus on livelihood clusters in Northeast India. In recent years, she has been instrumental in building Assam’s start-up ecosystem, mentoring entrepreneurs in opportunity mapping and scaling. She has also represented NE India at international forums and led global business delegations.
Empanelled Research Consultants
Ritwika Patgiri
PhD Research Scholar at South Asian University
Tuisha Sircar
Researcher| Feminist| Public Policy| Digital Rights| Debt Economy| Data Justice| Design Justice
Dr. Manjushree Banerjee
Former Senior Fellow, Centre for Impact, Evaluation and Energy Access, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi.
With over sixteen years of experience in energy access and renewable energy, Dr. Banerjee has led multiple national and international projects and worked extensively in remote and rural areas of India. She holds a PhD from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT, New Delhi), focusing on state policies and private sector participation in grid-interactive renewable power. An accomplished researcher and writer, she has authored over 25 papers, articles, and book chapters, with publications in journals such as Energy Policy and Current Sustainable Renewable Energy Reports. She is currently on sabbatical, working as an independent consultant on energy access.
Jolly Kazi
MA in Sociology, Tezpur University; MPhil in Sociology of Higher Education, JNU
Experienced in research and academia, with a focus on governance of higher education, and published work presented at national and regional conferences.
Aviskha Baruah
MBA in Rural Management, Assam Rajiv Gandhi University of Cooperative Management.
Skilled in development project management, capacity building, and community engagement, with hands-on experience in implementing rural development initiatives.